In the Meantime: A Play across two Continents

The film „Die Saat des heiligen Feigenbaums“ by Mohammad Rasoulof attracted worldwide attention and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best International Feature Film – shot under life-threatening conditions, constantly on the run from the controls of the Iranian regime. Shortly before its premiere in Cannes, the director had to flee the country, followed later by his actresses. One of them: Amineh Arani. Instead of moving into her new home in Tehran with her husband, Mohammad Kamal Alavi, she went into exile in France and Germany – while he remained thousands of kilometers away.
But rather than falling silent, Amineh Arani transformed her experiences into a play: IN THE MEANTIME. A PLAY ACROSS TWO CONTINENTS – an evening that transcends borders. It stands as a powerful example of the many Iranian artists who are forced to live in uncertainty under arbitrary restrictions. The play tells the story of a couple who remain connected despite all adversities. A third figure on stage – seemingly just a translator – becomes a mediator between what can be said and what must remain unspoken.
Director Stefan Otteni, together with the artist couple Arani and Alavi, brings to the stage a moving and unsettling work that gives a face to the Iranian protest movement „Frau, Leben, Freiheit“. An evening about vulnerability, courage, loss, and the political power of theatre.

The project is made possible through a residency grant from the Fonds Darstellende Künste in cooperation with flausen+. The residency is funded by the Fonds Darstellende Künste with resources provided by the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media.

Supported by the Ministry of Culture and Science of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, the NRW State Office for the Independent Performing Arts, the Rhineland Regional Association (LVR), and the Department for Diversity of the City of Cologne.