Down syndrome actors to perform during Fajr

A group of actors with Down syndrome will perform street theater and two stage plays as part of the 35th Fajr International Theater Festival.

The group will perform the plays ‘The Legend of the Rainless Meadow’, ‘The Legend of Mother Fish’ and ‘White Umbrellas’ during the Fajr event on January 27 and January 30.

A total of 15 people are participating in the plays, which are based on Iranian folklore.

Writer and director Rasoul Haqshenas has been working for years on drama therapy for people with Down syndrome. Iran’s Down Syndrome Center is the producer of the plays.

Haqshenas noted that this is the “first group in the world whose actors have Down syndrome and are performing street theater.”

Drama therapy helps patients use theater techniques to facilitate personal growth and promote mental health.

The group is performing for the third time in the Fajr International Theater Festival, which is currently underway.

The theater performers also staged plays at the International Children’s Theater Festival in India in 2012 and were nominated as one of the best performances.

“This is an opportunity for the actors to display their abilities to the public, namely the ability to focus on the task for 20 minutes in crowded surroundings. It will boost their confidence and the society will also observe the empowering of people with Down syndrome,” Haqshenas said.

“My main concern in this field is education; there are very few Iranian specialists when it comes to promoting theater as therapy,” he said, adding that he hopes to hold educational workshops on drama therapy across Iran.

AI/AI