Overview

This book, structured in two distinct yet interconnected parts, offers a comparative study of two significant realms in the history of theatre: first, Iranian drama within the socio-cultural context of the Qajar era, and second, commedia dell'arte as one of the influential movements in classical European theatre. In the first part, with a focus on the Qajar period, the author attempts to analyze the historical, social, and aesthetic conditions that gave rise to Iranian drama in this era, and examines the gradual transition from traditional performances to more modern and structured theatrical forms. This section, with an emphasis on the modernization of Iranian theatre, seeks to reexamine the formal and thematic capacities of indigenous performances in the face of modern transformations. The second part is dedicated to analyzing the roots, structure, and performative functions of commedia dell'arte. This theatrical form, which originated in 16th-century Italy, played a key role in shaping the European theatrical tradition through its unique performance methods, character types, and reliance on improvisation. In this section, the author explores the aesthetic, corporeal, and social dimensions of the form through an analytical lens and considers its relationship to contemporary trends in acting and directing. Taken together, the book is an effort to reconsider the historical and performative relationship between Iranian and European theatre, with the aim of highlighting the potential for intercultural dialogue within the performing arts.

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9781997503125

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A former Postdoctoral Fellow with the Elahé Omidyar Mir-Djalali Institute of Iranian Studies, Duman Riyazi 's research interests include artefacts and manuscript documents of the commedia dell'arte, the theatrical relationship between East and West, the history of Persian theatre and Persian comedy. He has written numerous articles on la commedia dell'arte and the modernization of Persian theatre. His publications also include translations of several plays by Carlo Goldoni and commedia dell'arte plays by Siro Ferrone. Since 2012, he has initiated numerous conferences and workshops on the inspiration Western theatre has derived from Middle Eastern theatrical forms, especially those of Persian theatre. It is worth mentioning that during his studies in Italy (2013-2020), he collaborated with Professor Siro Ferrone, one of the world's leading academic experts in the field of the commedia dell' arte. This collaboration was very valuable for his development in the area of facilitating dialogue among communities. During this time he was frequently invited to give intercultural workshops at various universities. Most of these workshops focused on the artistic relations between Iran and the West from 1501 to 1930.

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