“Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea” is the title of the 3D performance that the Italian theatre company Potlach has staged in Tehran, the capital of Iran, in partnership with the “Baran Theatre”, one of the most prestigious labels in Iran’s theatre scene. The performance, which is running from 16 September, has already fascinated the inhabitants of Tehran and especially the young actors, artists and students who know Italian. Instagram and Facebook are full of posts by Tehran youth exhorting to go see the performance, in Italian with subtitles in English. Not only: the debut performances of the show were attended by a large number of famous Iranian actors and directors, including Behrouz Afkhami, Haniyeh Tavassoli and Mehdi Pakdel. “Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea”, just like the namesake novel by Jules Verne that it is patently based on, spearheads technological advancement: the show is in 3D and has already toured 27 nations before Iran.
The Italian theatre company Potlach was created in 1976, said Kiumars Moradi, the director of the Baran Theatre, the company’s Iranian partner, who conceded an interview to Italian news agency AGI. He said: “It will stage its performances in Tehran under a two-year agreement. Furthermore, the group’s experience, which is based on some of the best Italian theatrical actors, will be made available to young Iranian actors in several workshops: the Potlach’s first Iranian tour, which ends on 15 October, has scheduled a six-day course.”
