The Well is a play in one act written by Alireza Tavana and directed by Abbas Abolhasani. The Well was first directed by Saeid Zeynolabedini at Khaneye Kuchake Namayesh in Tehran in 2010. Later, in the winter of 2017, Abbas Abolhasani brought the play to the stage of Abolhasani Theatre Hall in the city of Babol, Iran.
Summary of The Well :
The Well is a play in one act. It starts with Khalil and Maryam (an Iranian couple) sitting in a small backyard in the middle of nowhere. They begin reviewing their lives and past experiences. Surprisingly we soon learn that they are both dead, and the yard where they are in and their talks are all but imaginary. It is through their rumination of the past that we learn Khalil and Maryam were/are two passionate lovers who found each other and fell in love with each other through arts and theater. Passionate lovers Khalil & Maryam are, but their lives were not all sweet & smooth. In fact, they had to endure so much pain & hardship due to their political activism. So much pain that pushed them to the edges of the well where they ended their own lives…
The Well in Iran :
Abbas Abolhasani initially took The Well to the stage in the city of Babol in Mazandaran in both Persian and English at the same time in 2017. He used the same cast to perform in both languages. They would first perform the English version, and then later in the very day, they would perform in Persian. To the best of our knowledge, this has never been done in the province of Mazandaran or the country of Iran as a whole.
The Well Abroad :
The Well has so far been officially selected to participate in 4 international theatre festival:
- 1st International Theatre Institution’s Network of Emerging Arts Professional Festival
- 5th Kampala International Theatre Festival
- 11th International Theatre Festival of Kerala
- 5th International Association for Performing Arts and Research International Theatre Festival
Names and Positions of Cast & Crew
Director: Abbas Abolhasani
Playwright: Alireza Tavana
Cast:
Afsoon Namdari
Ahoura Gol-Amou-Pour
Crew:
Assistant Director: Sepide Zeynolabedini
Translator and Coordinator: Sina Ghasemi
Lighting Designer: Farshid Mosadegh
Music Designer: Houman Yousefnejad
Costume Designer: Sepide Zeynolabedini
Makeup Designer: Maede Mohammadian
Posters and Brochures Illustrator: Atta Rouhbakhsh
Photography and Videography: Reza Charmzadeh
About the Director
Abbas Abolhasani is a graduate of theater, acting concentration. He has a successful experience in acting (both on stage and in front of the camera), play direction, refereeing at festivals, radio and TV hosting, and official responsibilities. He has directed 14 full-length plays so far. He has won 14 awards at 8 different provincial and national arts festivals for different works of arts he has produced or appeared in throughout his career. He is still working passionately as an actor trainer in his theater academy in the city of Babol in Iran, as well as making even more works of art.
About the Group
Abolhasani Art Group is in association with Abolhasani Theater Academy based in the city of Babol, Iran; and is founded by Abbas Abolhasani in 2007. So far, they have performed 14 full length plays directed by Abbas Abolhasani at different theaters all over Iran. Some of the recent performances are The Well, The Tale of Mahan’s Death, Messiah, The Stone (all written by Alireza Tavana, an Iranian playwright); as well as, Les Morts sans Sepultures (written by Jean-Paul Sartre), and Antigone (written by Sophocles). Most of these performances won provincial and national awards, and were praised by viewers and critics.
