SILKEN VEILS combines Rumi poetry, marionettes, shadow and bunraku puppetry with animation to examine the impact of political turmoil on society and family. Darya, an Iranian-born American citizen, struggles with love in her contemporary life while reliving her childhood in Iran during the Revolution of 1979. The set design of the show is comprised entirely of suitcases and veils from which all characters emerge—a literal illustration of Darya’s struggle to unpack the baggage that we all carry. For more information: www.silkenveils.net
Silken Veils opens with Darya, an Iranian-born American citizen, fleeing her own wedding ceremony. Through a locked door, she struggles to explain and define her fears to Ahmad, her American-born Iranian fiancé. Abruptly, she enters a world of memories from her childhood in Iran where animations, marionette and shadow work are used to detail her parents’ sometimes-fairytale marriage. The marionette of Darya’s father, Hassan, explains the 1979 Iranian Revolution to her eight year old self, and the her brother’s role in the Iran-Iraq war is seen through the march of table top puppets with animated backgrounds. The crumbling state of her parents marriage is revealed through a veil of shadows, accentuated by calligraphy-based animation. It is through these memories that Darya’s parents reach out to their daughter, giving her the courage to love.
Silken Veils combines original text by the playwright/performer Leila Ghaznavi with poetry by the Persian poet Rumi. This piece is performed by two actors seen only as shadow images, one puppeteer, and one actor/puppeteer. Puppet elements are designed by Chase Woolner and master puppeteers Jim Rose and Ron Binion. Still pictures and animation, designed by Tanin Kosol, provide background imagery, historical context and poetic exploration.
