Gonbad Incidents

Director: Ashkan Kheilnejad

Playwright: Collective Research

Overview

In the wake of the ‘Woman, Life, Freedom’ movement, a collective of Iranian theatre artists rejected all forms of censorship, enforced dress codes, and undemocratic production methods. They committed to exploring politically charged, free forms of theatre in alternative, unofficial spaces. ‘Gonbad Incidents’ emerged as a response to this collective demand, embodying solidarity with the broader theatre community.
The performance follows Atena, a young Turkmen woman, who begins by recounting the discovery of four abandoned bodies beneath a bridge near Gonbad-e Kavus in 1979. As the story unfolds, we learn that these were the bodies of high-ranking members of the region's local Council of Farmers, kidnapped, tortured, and murdered by security forces during widespread Turkmen protests against central policies. The farmers' protests were ultimately crushed, and the council disbanded.
Through family memories, historical documents from the Turkmen People's Cultural and Political Society, media reports, parliamentary regulations, and interviews with witnesses, Atena embarks on a journey to uncover the truth behind the redistribution of her family’s lands in Gonbad-e Kavus. She sheds light on the rise and fall of Iran’s only agrarian movement during the early days of the revolution.

Director’s Note

How does theatre bridge the personal and the public?
To explore Atena’s story and the legal issues surrounding her family's land, we engaged in collective research on the political structure and labor dynamics of farmers in Gonbad-e Kavus during the decades leading up to the Iranian Revolution. Confronted with limited and often distorted official sources, we came to realize the importance of viewing history as an open project, giving memory and recollection equal weight.
Our creative process began with the juxtaposition of historical and oral materials, creating a collage-like text that intertwined official documents with interviews, letters, statements, speeches, photographs, and documentary films.
We then analyzed the peasant movement and the 1979 repression of Gonbad-e Kavus from the perspective of Iran’s post-revolution political economy, presenting it in a lecture format to provide additional context.
As the performance took shape, we chose not to merely represent history, but to create it actively on stage. We transformed the space into a public hall, inviting audience participation by posing simple economic questions. At the performance’s conclusion, Atena held a tense interview with her father, an eyewitness to the untold events in Gonbad. This moment allowed the audience to explore their own perspectives and engage in an open dialogue with the performance’s subjects.
By participating in this lecture-performance, the audience confronted new questions about the ‘Woman, Life, Freedom’ movement and its significance in contemporary Iran.

Venues & Dates

Cast

Production