newportbeachindy . com MAY 12 , 2023 7
STEPPING OUT
World Premiere of ‘ avaaz ’ at South Coast Repertory a Personal Tale of Coming to America
By Eric Marchese | Special to the NB Indy
The immigrant story usually tends to be about family , and about old versus new . South Coast Repertory has opened two such stories . Both – “ Coleman ’ 72 ” ( which closes May 14 ) and Michael Shayan ’ s “ avaaz ” ( running through May 27 ) – are world premieres and both are part of this year ’ s Pacific Playwrights Festival , now in its 25th year .
“ Avaaz ” is Iranian-American playwright Shayan ’ s first play at SCR . Post-performance , Shayan tells us that “ avaaz ” “ is the first major production of an Iranian play anywhere in the U . S .” As it has done so often in its existence , SCR has made history , something you can be part of by seeing this show .
Unlike the multi-character “ Coleman ,” though , “ avaaz ” is a solo show in which Shayan portrays his mother “ Roya .” Roya isn ’ t his mom ’ s actual name but , rather , the name he has given to the persona he creates during the show ’ s 90 minutes .
Deftly directed by Moritz Von Stuelpnagel with respect for the play ’ s concept , structure and execution ,
South Coast Repertory ’ s 2023 World Premiere of “ avaaz ” written and performed by Michael Shayan . Photo by Jenny Graham / SCR .
“ avaaz ” consists of Shayan essentially speaking in his mother ’ s voice ( the title is the Farsi word for “ a song as it is being sung ”), telling us about herself and her journey from Iran to the U . S ., including giving birth to son Michael .
In effect , it ’ s a deeply personal tale that ’ s both individualistic and idiosyncratic and , at the same time , universal , delving into the challenges and obstacles faced by anyone who has ever been uprooted from their native country and pushed themselves to start anew in a strange land .
As patrons enter and take their seats , festive Iranian music plays overhead . They ’ re greeted by Shayan-as- Roya , who then steps onto the stage and segues directly into his script .
During Roya ’ s banter with us , she gives us a lighthearted crash course in Iranian history and culture , all along
coaching us on how to pronounce key Iranian words .
We ’ ve been invited into Roya ’ s home to celebrate Nowruz , the Iranian New Year . This set-up is the ideal scenario through which Shayan can tell his mother ’ s story , rich in the kind of compelling drama and unexpected laughs that are inevitable when such tales are skillfully told .
And Shayan is a writer of great skill . He could have kept “ avaaz ” light and therefore superficial , clinging only to humor . He could have invested the script with sorrows that would likely play out as heavy-handed or have created a tribute so overly sentimental as to be unpalatable .
Instead , he and SCR ’ s production team and designers have crafted a singular tale that reveals almost as much about Shayan himself as it does the personality and life story of his mother .
A key example of this is when , early on , Roya relates that Michael is gay , indicating through gestures that her son ’ s demeanor is not only not flamboyant , but essentially inconspicuous .
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