Amir Reza Koohestani
- Writer
Amir Reza Koohestani was born in June 8th, 1978 in Shiraz, Iran. He was
16 when he began to publish short stories in local newspapers.
Attracted to cinema, he took courses in directing and cinematography in
1995 and created two unfinished films.
After a brief experience as performer, he devoted his time to write his
first plays: And the day never came (1999), which was never performed
and The Murmuring Tales (2000) which received attracted critical
acclaim in Tehran, during the 18th International Fadjr Theatre
Festival.
With his third play, Dance On Glasses (2001), in tour for four years,
Amir Reza Koohestani gained international notoriety and found the
support of several European theatrical artistic directors and
festivals.
Then follows the plays Recent Experiences (from the original text by
Canadians writers Nadia Ross and Jacob Wren, 2003) ; Amid The Clouds
(first European co-production with Kunstenfestivaldesarts and Wiener
Festwochen, 2005) ; Dry Blood & Fresh Vegetables (a twenty minutes
performance, 2007) and Quartet: A Journey North (European
co-production, 2008), all of them successfully welcomed in Europe.
Amir Reza Koohestani was also commissioned by the Schauspielhaus in
Koln, where he wrote and staged Einzelzimmer (2006), and by the Nouveau
Theatre DE Besancon, with Japanese director Oriza Hirata and French
director Sylvain Maurice, to create the play Des Utopies ? (2009) on
tour in France and Japan.
After some years of study in Manchester, Amir Reza Koohestani has
returned back to Tehran since July 2009 and created the play Where Were
You On January 8th? recently performed in La Colline - national
theatre, as part of Festival d'Automne à Paris, and after a European
tour.
In October 2011, despite finishing his military service, Amir Reza
Koohestani created the adaptation of Ivanov by Anton Chekhov,
successfully staged in Tehran for more than one month.
16 when he began to publish short stories in local newspapers.
Attracted to cinema, he took courses in directing and cinematography in
1995 and created two unfinished films.
After a brief experience as performer, he devoted his time to write his
first plays: And the day never came (1999), which was never performed
and The Murmuring Tales (2000) which received attracted critical
acclaim in Tehran, during the 18th International Fadjr Theatre
Festival.
With his third play, Dance On Glasses (2001), in tour for four years,
Amir Reza Koohestani gained international notoriety and found the
support of several European theatrical artistic directors and
festivals.
Then follows the plays Recent Experiences (from the original text by
Canadians writers Nadia Ross and Jacob Wren, 2003) ; Amid The Clouds
(first European co-production with Kunstenfestivaldesarts and Wiener
Festwochen, 2005) ; Dry Blood & Fresh Vegetables (a twenty minutes
performance, 2007) and Quartet: A Journey North (European
co-production, 2008), all of them successfully welcomed in Europe.
Amir Reza Koohestani was also commissioned by the Schauspielhaus in
Koln, where he wrote and staged Einzelzimmer (2006), and by the Nouveau
Theatre DE Besancon, with Japanese director Oriza Hirata and French
director Sylvain Maurice, to create the play Des Utopies ? (2009) on
tour in France and Japan.
After some years of study in Manchester, Amir Reza Koohestani has
returned back to Tehran since July 2009 and created the play Where Were
You On January 8th? recently performed in La Colline - national
theatre, as part of Festival d'Automne à Paris, and after a European
tour.
In October 2011, despite finishing his military service, Amir Reza
Koohestani created the adaptation of Ivanov by Anton Chekhov,
successfully staged in Tehran for more than one month.