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5 "The Door" in New York | USA “The New York International Fringe Festival, or FringeNYC, is a fringe theater festival and one of the largest multi-arts events in North America. It takes place over the course of two weeks every August, spread on more than 20 stages across several neighborhoods in downtown Manhattan, notably the Lower East Side, the East Village, and Greenwich Village. The play ‘The Door’ by Iran Saye Theater was chosen to be staged in the New York International Fringe Festival (FringeNYC), August 2016. Producing Artistic Director of FringNYC, Elena Holy writes: “The Door is the first Iranian play to take part in FringeNYC, providing a rare opportunity for thousands of Fringe festival audience members to glimpse into Middle Eastern theatre.” Attendance in 2009 topped 75,000 people. Unlike most Fringe festivals, FringeNYC uses a jury-based selection process. Around 200 shows, out of a much larger pool of applicants, are selected for inclusion each year. Document Name Your Company Name (C) Copyright (Print Date) All Rights Reserved 14
American critics' reviews Anthony Calamunci One of FringeNYC’s international offerings, The Door comes from Iran’s Saye Theatre Group. It tells a story of the immigrant experience through the perspectives of two women who share the stage at all times, but never address one another. The first to speak is a young woman who was born in Tehran and brought to New York City during her childhood. She reminisces about her birthplace, and cannot decide whether to stay in the US or return home (if Iran is in fact still her home). Her dream is to open an institute where she can teach English to children. In the play’s second half, it is an older woman’s turn to speak. Her visa will soon expire and her greatest wish is for her child to be born in America. She waits and waits to hear back from her attorney who remains an offstage presence. The Door primarily consists of these two characters addressing the audience, and it almost feels like two solo shows with similar themes played back to back. Mireminy and Ebrahimi are more than up to the task here, bringing real passion and urgency to their performances. Periodically there are transitional, dialoguefree sequences, more in the “performance art” vein. The lighting changes and eerie music plays as the performers move about, pulling dozens of paintbrushes out of a fanny pack, for instance. Some of these sequences last several minutes, and comprise some of the show’s most challenging material. There are also some meta-textual elements, with the older character breaking the fourth wall and occasionally acknowledging the artificiality of the scenario. This is an unexpected touch that adds some interesting texture to the show. This is a unique experience, and unlike others I have had at FringeNYC. Those interested in boundary-pushing theater will Document Name Your find The Company Door worth Name entering. (C) Copyright (Print Date) All Rights Reserved 15
Page 1 and 2: The Door Document Name Your Company
Page 3 and 4: 1 About Iran Saye Theatre Iran Saye
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Page 7 and 8: Critics' Reviews “The Door” Hop
Page 11 and 12: Etemad Newspaper 26th Oct. 2015 Say
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Page 17 and 18: Things grow more physical. The rest
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