Anahita’s Republic is a new work about women, freedom, family, injustice, and power that provides an urgent and timely window into the complex world of women’s rights in Muslim countries. The play is set in Iran, with thematic and conceptual ties to the UK and Canada. In the Islamic Republic of Iran, it is illegal for a woman to appear in public without a hijab, or head scarf, and women who dare to wear their hijab improperly can be harassed and jailed. Many other freedoms for women are restricted too, but despite the danger many women continue to fight for their rights.
The main character of the play, Anahita, is a fighter. Refusing to wear the hijab, she rules her own republic within her gated compound where she can be free to live, dress, and speak as she pleases. To deal with the world of men outside her gate, she controls the family business and the life of her brother Cyrus, whose freedom and happiness are sacrificed for her dreams.
One night, on the eve of an important secret meeting between leaders of the women’s movement, a Muslim woman dressed in a chador comes to Anahita’s compound, carrying explosive secrets that might destroy everything Anahita has tried to build. In a society full of injustice and inequity, nobody can be trusted, and everybody pays.
The World of the Play
Anahita’s Republic is set in Iran, a country with a history of settlement dating back 10,000 years, and home to major civilizations since 4,000 BCE. There are no words to describe this complex, multi-layered country that do not simplify it beyond recognition. There is no way for anyone who hasn’t lived there to appreciate or understand it. We look into this world through a window of our own devising, and into a particular time and place. This is only one story among many.
Prior to the 1979 revolution, Iran was governed by the monarchy of Reza Pahlavi. The revolution, popular and widespread in its origins, was at first supported by many women who were seeking more freedom. However, during the revolution control was seized by Islamic fundamentalists under the leadership of Ruhollah Khomeini. Once in power, Khomeini passed laws that severely restricted the legal rights of women, including the mandatory wearing of hijab.
Mandatory hijab is a powerful symbol of the religious, cultural, and political restrictions in Iran, but it is only one way that an autocratic state affects the minds and spirits of those living under its sway. Women and other Iranians have been seeking greater rights ever since the revolution, and waves of protests have taken place many times.
We wish to honour all those who have fought and continue to fight. We hope this play helps the audience understand and appreciate a small slice of this complex, beautiful country and culture.
Why Anahita?
The idea and the characters came to Hengameh when she was in Iran for the 2009 election, personally witnessed the desperate call of the people for “Hope, Justice, and the Truth,” and the anger, demonstrations, and brutal crackdowns after powerful conservative religious groups sabotaged the elections and installed a candidate who reversed the gains made for women’s rights.
Back in Edmonton she reflected on the situation of Muslim women in Western culture, and the ongoing lack of understanding in the media and in society about the complexities of Middle Eastern cultures. Anahita’s Republic is her artistic bridge between cultures and between worlds. It is her way of bringing the power, strength, and struggles of Iranian women to the people of Canada in a way that will stimulate discussion and understanding.
Play Glossary of Farsi Terms
- Agha: Sir or Mister
- Ayatollah: A high ranking title given to Shi’ite clerics who are experts in Islamic studies
- Mullah: A derogatory term for Ayatollahs
- Azizam: My dearest
- Basij: A paramilitary force run by the Revolutionary Guards to control dissent
- Chador: A shroud worn by women that covers the entire body except the face and the hands
- Chadori: A woman who wears the chador, a derogatory term used for very religious women
- Deevooneh: Crazy
- Joon/Jan: Dear
- Khanoom(eh): Lady
- Morality Police: Men and women who both formally (with state sanction) and informally (on their own initiative) accost women on the street in Iran and harass them for “improper” wearing of the hijab
- Mowlana (Rumi): A Persian poet
- Parvaneh: Butterfly
- Revolutionary Guard: A branch of Iran’s armed forces that protects the regime from foreign interference as well as internal coups.
It Takes Many Voices to Make a Play
AuTash would like to thank the many people who have helped bring this play to life, with the full acknowledgement that we’ve probably missed somebody in this list. Please forgive us.
- All the actors who have ever read for us.
- Way back in the beginning, Kristen Finlay, Bethany Hughes, and the others at Walterdale who encouraged and supported the play.
- Brian Dooley and the first-ever on-your-feet workshop of Anahita.
- Vern Thiessen and the Workshop West Playwrights’ Theatre 2018-19 team, especially Brenley Charkow and Mūkonzi wã Mūsyoki.
- Richard Rose and Courtney Ch’ng Lancaster of Tarragon Theatre for the reading.
- Mohammad Yaghoubi, Aida Keykhaii, and the actors from Nowadays Theatre for their cultural dramaturgy.
- The Stratford Festival’s 2022 Playwright’s Retreat, especially Keith Barker and Andrea Pestana for their feedback.
- Brenley Charkow and the actors from the World Premiere at Factory Theatre for their questions, suggestions, and feedback as they worked through the script and staged a beautiful and haunting production.