TEHRAN – The play “Afra, or the Day Passes” written by the renowned Iranian playwright, theater director, and filmmaker Bahram Beyzai is performed on stage at Tehran Theater in Tehran.

Marjan Bakhtiari has directed the play and performs in it along with Bita Khosravi, Hannaneh Mandani, Hossein Sadegh Naeini, Nahal Hajian, Ali Mokhtari, Radin Shams, Ashkan Alavi, and Hesam Bagheri. Mohammad Bakhtiarifard is the producer of the play.

Bahram Beyzai (1938 – 2025) wrote “Afra, or the Day Passes” in 1998. He directed the play, for the first time, in 2008 at Tehran’s Vahdat Hall.

The play is about Afra, a young local teacher, who, for the sake of her life and her family, is forced to accept the suggestion of teaching Shazdeh Cholman Mirza, which leads to some adventures.

The whole play features binarisms or binary oppositions around which it revolves. The major binary opposition in the play is the reality/illusion opposition. This opposition can be considered in the play almost in relation to all of the characters. Apparently, this opposition is more conspicuous with regard to Afra and her world. 

The reality/illusion opposition appears to be so simple and obvious on the surface. An in-depth consideration reveals that it underpins the whole theme of the play. Later in the play, this opposition again pops up under the guise of the truth/lie.

The next major binary opposition revolves around the wealth/poverty binarism. This outstanding opposition is the foremost cause of all that happens in the play.

The exact time and place of the events cannot be determined from the characters' reports. However, it seems that the story takes place sometime in the 1920s or 30s. The atmosphere of the work is magical yet familiar. This familiarity stems from the fact that all the details are drawn from real life, but their arrangement alongside one another has created a magical quality.

The play is the closest thing to a realist play about Iran and its people in contemporary history. It portrays a people who, despite possessing a rich historical, literary, artistic, and cultural heritage, have, through their behavior and actions, shown that contrary to their claim of being humane and cultured, they have become people with low self-confidence.

Beyzai was a master of Persian literature, mythology, and Iranian studies. Before he started making films in 1970, he was a leading playwright. Despite his belated start in cinema, Beyzai is often considered a pioneer of a generation of filmmakers whose works are sometimes described as the Iranian New Wave.

In 1968, Beyzai was one of the nine founders of the Iranian Writers' Guild, which was a highly controversial organization in the face of censorship. In 1969, he was invited to teach at the Theater Department of the College of Fine Arts at the University of Tehran. He chaired this department from 1972 to 1979. With his readership, many prominent authors and artists started teaching at the department and created the most fruitful period in the history of that department.

He was a leading playwright as well as theatre historian, and is often considered the greatest playwright of the Persian language. Some of his plays, such as his masterpiece “Death of Yazdgerd,” have been translated into numerous languages and performed worldwide.

“Afra or the Day Passes” will remain on stage until July 7 at Tehran Theater, located at No. 3, Farhangi (Behnam) Alley, Vesal Shirazi St., Enqelab St.

SS/SAB