Performance and Narration of Ancient Iranian Stories based on the Shahnameh of Ferdowsi and Old Manuscripts of Narrators

Performance and Narration by GordAFarid

GordAfarid is one of the first women who, in the history of Naqhali in Iran, has performed theatrical narrations of epics, national stories, and folklore, with the support of educational, cultural, and people's organizations. She has performed in cities and villages across Iran, and in many European and Asian countries. Naghali in Iran is an ancient kind of solo performance of epics and old stories, which has been done by men exclusively for centuries, in cafes or open spaces. The subjects and themes of naghali are the human stories of people, families, kings, warriors, myths, and epic makers of the vast lands of Iran. The naqhals, using their mastery of the arts of speech and storybooks, performed the stage-filling acts and exaggerated movements of this traditional stage art in cafes and open spaces for the public. Today, naqhali is on the verge of extinction in Iran. GordAfarid has tried to keep alive this traditional-national from of theater and stage art. Her approach has included research, collection and recording of methods used by the elders of this artform in cafes, sports houses, and soufi houses of Iran, authoring of articles, as well as extensive performances in Iran and outside of Iran. For years, she has held classes on naghali, and the encyclopedia of nagals is one of her publications in the works.

Performance is in Farsi Co-sponsored by Persian Student Association (PSA)