Azadeh Ganjeh’s “Unpermitted Whispers,” is a 35 minute long play that is performed in a Tehranian taxi, also known as “Rahi.” A special type of taxi, these Rahis crisscross around fixed, straight lined routes, picking and dropping people along the way at main intersections of the capital. As a more impersonal mode of transport than the minicabs that provide door-to-door service, Rahis offer passengers anonymity and the freedom to be. These communal cabs are such, they’ve provided a whole new, hidden, secretly shared world where Tehranis can easily share stories, whispered yet uninhibited. People often overhear other’s stories and share their own too – for some Tehranis, this is an extension of other people’s private spheres that they feel comfortable stepping into for that short time.
Unpermitted Whispers takes place in one such situation, telling us the stories of three female passengers picked up by a male driver during different times along his route. The play opens to a scene where the audience eavesdrops to a typical Tehrani conversation where a bride expresses her interest to go to the theatre with her friends, but can’t seem to find a good enough excuse to use on her traditional husband and their family. The second scene depicts another woman who lost both her brother and fiance in the national service. Finally, the third scene shows a veiled woman in search of her abusive husband who’s hospitalised.
Ganjeh’s is a scholar of Shakespeare who specialises in environmental art. The three lead characters in the play were also inspired by Shakespearean figures such as Othello’s Desdemona, Hamlet’s Ophelia and Katharina from The Taming of the Shrew.
The play was produced by Urban Art House, a collection of young professional artists who hail from different genres but are all devoted to Tehran’s urban culture. They spearhead the growth of experimental art in Tehran and have made quite an impact with this play.
