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Home , Adrian Sherwood, Jah Wobble, Juno Reactor, Karsh Kale, Marius de Vries, Mark Amin

The House is Black

WORLD PREMIERE ABOUT THE PROGRAM Fri Jan 23 The House is Black is Sussan Deyhim’s media-film-performance project, inspired by the works Royce Hall of Forough Farrokhzad, one of ’s most influential feminist poets and filmmakers of the 20th Century.

This project seeks to shed light on the importance of progressive Iranian contemporary arts through the vision of two of Iran’s most avant-garde female artists, Forough Farrokhzad and Sussan Deyhim.

PERFORMANCE DURATION: Deyhim has created a series of non-linear poetic tableaux inspired by the poems of Forough Approximately 75 minutes Farrokhzad. The audience travels through a visual, sonic and theatrical journey into the heart of Forough ‘s prophetic vision where her most intimate, soulful and provocative moments leap off the page and onto the stage. Her message is as poetically and politically relevant today for the women of PRE-SHOW POETRY BUREAU Iran and the world as it was fifty years ago when she died tragically at the age of 32. Join us in the West Lobby and get a poem written An original score composed by Deyhim and Golden Globe-winning composer Richard Horowitz, on the spot. featuring brilliant special guests, creates a cinematic musical landscape, including influences rooted Doors open at 6:45 in Persian and Western contemporary , and with an elaborate vocal soundscape and intricate sound design component.

Archival images and scenes from Forough’s documentary The House is Black and Bernardo CAP UCLA SPONSOR: Bertolucci’s 1965 interview with Forough, along with Deyhim’s original film and visual projections, Supported in part by the will create the backdrop and provide a window into the life of Iran’s most controversial poet and Performing Arts at Royce filmmaker.

MEDIA SPONSOR: The project has been made possible by a generous grant from the prestigious -based Iranian Farhang Foundation (www.farhang.org) a residency at CAP UCLA, a residency fellowship at Robert Rauschenbeg Residency/Robert Rauschenberg Foundation, House is Black LLC and generous supporters of The House is Black Indiegogo project. CREDITS MESSAGE FROM THE CENTER Conceived, Produced and Performed by: Sussan Deyhim Co-Directed by Robert Egan and Sussan Deyhim It has been a profound privilege and honor to collaborate Co-Composed by: Richard Horowitz, Sussan Deyhim with and support Sussan Deyhim since the very early stages and very special guests of this incredible work. Sussan was in residence at CAP UCLA with The House is Black last year and tonight’s world Film and Visual Design and Direction: Sussan Deyhim premiere is a culmination of energy, creative spirit and Plus excerpts from Forough Farrokhzad’s award-winning integrity of purpose. Documentary Kheneh Siah Ast (The House is Black). And excerpts

from Nasser Saffarian’s documentary on Farrokhzad’s life The Mirror The making of a work like this has been in the hands of of the Soul many believers--the people and organizations and fellow artists who believe in the importance of the story Sussan is Literary Advisor: Ahmad Karimi-Hakkak so committed to sharing with us all, who believe in shining Program Preface: Farzane Milani a light on the influence of a great writer and artist who Translators: Amin Banani, Ahmad Karimi Hakkak and came before and whose voice has been all-to-silent in the Farzaneh Milani contemporary arts world. Dramaturge: Robert Egan

Lighting Design: Anne Militello For three years now, we at the Center have been asking the Projection Design: Jason H. Thompson question “Who is the Poet in Your Life?” The answers are Assistant Director and Movement Advisor: Madeleine Dahm as varied as the people who supply them, and our work and Associate Producer: Simon Edery lives have been enriched through this exploration. Thanks Cinematography: Jefferson Miller and Snehal Patel and to Sussan, Forough Farrokhzad herself has become an Siamak Nasiri Ziba answer to that question for us. We welcome you here tonight Editors: Ashley Monti- Louis Iacoviello, and Siamak Nasiri Ziba to celebrate her contributions to the world of art, and to Wardrobe Supervisor: Susan Wilder celebrate the tenacity, intention and great talent of Sussan Associate Projection Designer: Kaitlyn Pietras Deyhim, who will continue to bring the work of Forough to Assistant Lighting Design: Rose Malone so many. We hope you leave here with a poem from our live Stage Manager: Erika Sellin Poetry Bureau in the West Lobby where we will attempt Stage Crew: Dorian Ovalle and Max Oken to capture the great power of language through a few Projection Technician: Quin Cabalquinto thoughtfully typed verses. Audio Engineering and Programming: Andrew Silagy Live Sound: Flash Feruccio And we hope you leave here tonight able to more deftly ponder and answer the question: Who is the Poet in Your Life? ABOUT THE ARTISTS Tonight we all become part of a living, breathing, ongoing FOROUGH FARROKHZAD exhibition. Our memories and experiences here tonight are Farrokhzad was no doubt the godmother of Iranian modern poetry what creates a permanent collection of this ephemeral art and film and a radical feminist whose horizon truly transcended form. We become the keepers of this moment in time and feminism to reach a universal humanistic outcry, which is relevant this tribute to two powerful boundary-defying artists. to this day both inside and outside of Iran. Her nuanced polyphonic poetry takes us through a shockingly wide spectrum of ideas and visions. She is Iran’s Sylvia Plath.

Forough was born in Tehran to career military officer Colonel Mohammad Bagher Farrokhzad (originally from Tafresh city) and his wife Touran Vaziri-Tabar in 1935. The third of seven children (Amir, Massoud, Mehrdad, Fereydoun, Pooran and Gloria), she attended school until the ninth grade, then was taught painting and sewing at a girl’s school for the manual arts. At age 16 she was married to Parviz Shapour, an acclaimed satirist. Farrokhzad continued her education with classes in painting and sewing and moved with her husband to Ahvaz. A year later, she bore her only child, a son named Kamyar (subject of A Poem for You).

Within two years, in 1954, Farrokhzad and her husband divorced; Parviz won custody of the child. She moved back to Tehran to write poetry and published her first volume, entitled The Captive, in 1955. Farrokhzad, a female divorcée writing controversial poetry with a strong feminine voice, became the focus of much negative attention and open disapproval. In 1958 she spent nine months in Europe. After returning to Iran, in search of a job she met filmmaker and across the spectrum of contemporary art include Ornette Coleman, Bobby McFerrin, , , Richard Horowitz, , Marius De Vries, Hal Winer, Micky Hart, , , Will Calhoun, Karsh Kale, , Keith LeBlanc, Skip McDonald, , , , The Blue Man Group and with prominent female visual artists Shirin Neshat, Sophie Calle and Lita Albuquerque.

Her composition Windfall/Beshno Az Ney was recently used by throughout the U.S. and Europe. “U2s360 tour” in one of the largest-scale rock tours to this day. Sussan has performed with international orchestras such as the Polish Radio Orchestra and the Krakow Philharmonic, and has received commissions as a composer Forough Farrokhzad from international ensembles such as Bang On A Can. She has performed her music at Lincoln Center Summer Festival, Carnegie writer Ebrahim Golestan, who reinforced her own inclinations Recital Hall, Albert Hall, The Old Vic, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Royce to express herself and live independently. She published two Hall and many other major venues. On Jan 26-27th, 2015 Sussan more volumes, The Wall and The Rebellion before traveling to performed at the 2015 in The Way of the Tabriz to make a film about Iranians affected by leprosy. This Rain (creative Director: Sibylle Szaggars Redford, collaborators: 1962 documentary film titled The House is Black won several Will Calhoun, Dave Eggar, Chuck Palmer, Desmond Richardson, international awards. During the 12 days of shooting, she became Ron Saint Germain, Steve Cohen, Floyd Thomas McBee III) — and attached to Hossein Mansouri, the child of two lepers. She adopted special guest appearances by Robert Redford, singer Marc Roberge, the boy and brought him to live at her mother’s house. In 1964 and musician Richard On. she published Another Birth. Her poetry was now mature and sophisticated, and a profound change from previous modern Iranian Deyhim’s art works and the visual components of The House is Black poetic conventions. Media production are presented by The Shulamit Gallery in Venice, Calif. http://shulamitgallery.com At 4:30PM on February 13, 1967, Farrokhzad died in a car accident at age 32. In order to avoid hitting a school bus, she reportedly Her solo recordings include: swerved her Jeep, which hit a stone wall; she died before reaching Madman of God: Divine Love Songs of the Persian Sufi Masters, Shy the hospital. Her poem, Let us believe in the beginning of the cold Angels (with Bill Laswell) for the visionary label Crammed Discs. season, was published posthumously, and is considered by some to Her recordings with Richard Horowitz include: Majoun (for Sony be one of the best-structured modern poems in Persian. Classical), Desert Equations (released on Crammed Discs), A Gift of Love (for Deepak Chopra), with composer and director Heiner Farrokhzad’s poetry was banned for more than a decade after Goebbels, Deyhim recorded Shadows (for ECM), based on writings the Islamic Revolution. A brief literary biography of Forough, of Edgar Allan Poe and Heiner Mueller. She was also a featured Michael Hillmann’s A lonely woman: Forough Farrokhzad and her soloist on ’s tribute to Kurt Weill, Lost in the Stars in poetry, was published in 1987. She is also referenced in a chapter collaboration with Elliott Sharp. Her label Venus Rising Records of Farzaneh Milani’s work Veils and words: the emerging voices of has released five new albums of her works on film, multimedia and Iranian women writers (1992). Nasser Saffarian has directed three recent collaborations. Deyhim can be heard on the soundtracks documentaries on her: The Mirror of the Soul (2000), The Green of numerous films including:Argo - music by Cold (2003), and Summit of the Wave (2004). She is the sister of the (Golden Globe and Oscar nomination for best score 2012); The Last singer, poet and political activist Fereydoon Farrokhzad. (Forough Temptation of Christ-music by Peter Gabriel; The Kite Runner- farrokhzad.org) music by ; Any Given Sunday- Music by Richard Horowitz, Tobruk SUSSAN DEYHIM Deyhim is an Iranian composer, vocalist, performance artist and Music in collaboration with Richard Horowitz, winner of Czech activist. She is internationally known for creating a unique sonic Lion Award in 2009. The Stoning of Soraya- music by John Debney; and vocal language imbued with a sense of ritual and the unknown. Unfaithful- music by Jan Kaczmarek; Sleeper Cell- music by Paul She was part of the national ballet company in Iran from the age of Haslinger (Golden Globe-winning Showtime series); The Rise of the 13 and traveled all across Iran studying with master folk musicians Argonauts- music by . and dancers. In1976 she joined The Bejart Ballet in Europe after receiving a scholarship to attend Bejarts’ performance art school Sussan has been a frequent participant at Iranian events and Mudra, where she was trained in many of the great world, dance, benefits, including a performance at the gathering of the spiritual music and theater traditions as well as in classical ballet. Her music leaders of the world at the UN General Assembly in 2001; the first remains true to the spirit of her ancient heritage while pointing to Gathering of Female Spiritual Leaders in Geneva at the United the future with a very personal and poetic dramatic sensibility. Nations; the Royal Hope Gala at Royal Albert Hall, , with Placido Domingo; The Royal Ballet and many others, for medical aid In 1980, she moved to New York, embarking on a multifaceted to Iraqi children. In 2009 she performed in a sold-out concert at the career encompassing music, theatre, dance, media and film. She UN General Assembly organized by Pakistan’s biggest rock musician created/starred in groundbreaking media operas at La Mama in the and activist, Salman Ahmad to raise funds for misplaced children in ‘80s including Azax/ Attra and The Ghost of Ibn Sabah. Pakistan with other participants such as Jeff Skol, Bobby Sager, and Sussan’s wide-ranging collaborations with leading artists from Gavin Rossdale. Producer of the acclaimed Ojai Playwrights Conference, which ARTIST NOTE develops new plays that speak to the challenging social, political and moral issues of our day. Prior to Ojai he was the Producing Artistic Director of Los Angeles’ award winning Mark Taper Forum for 20 seasons and was Founding Artistic Director of its internationally acclaimed New Work Festival for 15 seasons for which he produced and developed Angels in America and Kentucky Cycle, both Pulitzer Prize winners.

Robert is also the former Associate Artistic Director of the Seattle Repertory Theatre where he created their new play program, The Other Season. He also created Home Productions in Seattle where he produced and directed award-winning productions of Waiting for Godot, Home and Steambath. Robert is the Founder and President of RHEgan Productions LLC and Eye Street Media which conceives and produces films and live events for major organizations throughout the like Homeboy Industries, Global Green USA, Cure Autism Now, LA Team Mentoring and many For me, the most inspiring aspect of this project is the others. opportunity to introduce the great work and sensibility of an Iranian female icon to the international community. Many His team created opening events for both the Valley Performing Iranian intellectuals consider Forough a cultural godmother of Arts Center and the new LA Cathedral. Directing and producing modernist literature in Iran, but she died so young (at the age of credits include major productions ranging from world premieres 32) that I also think of her as our cultural daughter. A rebel with of new plays to Shakespeare at theaters across the country and a cause. Europe -- in Southern California at the Mark Taper Forum; the Kirk Douglas Theatre; Taper, Too; the Los Angeles Theatre Center; Forough spoke with awe-inspiring rawness and maturity. She the Actor’s Gang; the Rogue Theatre; South Coast Rep; and the La was an existentialist, feminist provocateur. She was Iran’s Jolla Playhouse; in New York at the Public Theatre; Playwrights Simone de Beauvoir, Frida Kahlo, Maya Deren and Patti Smith Horizons; Naked Angels; Under the Radar; Joe’s Pub; and the Hip all rolled into one. Her work has given me the inspiration to Hop Theatre Festival; in Seattle at the Seattle Repertory Theatre; A continue my own artistic journey during my 30 years in exile Contemporary Theatre; and the Empty Space; in the Bay Area at the from Iran. Berkeley Rep; TheatreWorks; and Stanford’s Memorial Auditorium; in Washington DC at the Signature Theatre; and the Kennedy Her poetry is the narrative for this project and through it I am Center; and in England at the Oxford Playhouse and the Oxford able to express some of my deepest feelings and visions about University Drama Society. He produced and directed a national Iran both metaphorically and literally. Hip-Hop Tour for Norman Lear; and developed and directed a production for the HBO Aspen Comedy Festival. Across the piece’s abstract conceptual landscape, I will lead the audience through each tableau in a series of unique For television he has directed episodes of Frasier and Stark Raving interpretations of the various characters from Forough ’s Mad among others. Robert was educated at College, Oxford poems, transporting them on an evocative journey to Iran of University and Stanford University. Robert is an Artistic Director the 1950’s and back into the present where we need to embrace of Watts Media in Seattle for whom he wrote and directed the the universality and humanity of her message more than ever. 100th Anniversary Show for Fluor Industries in Dallas Symphony The score and the sound design are inspired by the poetic and Hall with Colin Powell, Cirque du Soleil and the Dallas Symphony emotional content of each poem to create a moving song cycle Orchestra -- a live event fed to 14 countries around the world for within an ambient atmosphere. 60,000 viewers. Egen recently created a live event in Royce Hall to celebrate the 100th Anniversary of UCLA. With the enormous pressure currently placed on Iranian artists and intellectuals –especially women—Forough ’s fight RICHARD HOROWITZ – Composer for freedom of artistic and ideological expression remains the Award-winning composer Richard Horowitz has collaborated with central issue of our time 50 years after her death. Sussan Deyhim since 1981. --Sussan Deyhim His major motion-picture composing credits include: The Sheltering Sky (Golden Globe and Los Angeles Film Critic’s Awards - Bernardo COLLABORATORS Bertolucci director); Any Given Sunday (BMI Music Award - Oliver Stone director, Sundance Audience and Grand Jury Prize winner); ROBERT EGAN – Co-Director Three Seasons (Tony Bui director, Tobruk Czech Golden Lion Music Robert Egan has been an award-winning producer, director and Award with Sussan Deyhim); Lakota Woman (Frank Pierson, dramaturge in the American theatre for over 25 years. He has director Jane Fonda producer); Intersections (David Marconi, developed and directed hundreds of new plays in the United States director, Luc Besson producer); Return to Rajapur (starring Lynn and Europe with writers such as Jon Robin Baitz, David Hare, Collins, Frank Langella, Justin Theroux, Kajarya Madhureeta Anthony Minghella, Stephen Adly Guirgis, Charlayne Woodard, Anand director. Winner of the China 2014 Silk Road Festival). Luis Alfaro, Bill Cain and Len Jenkin. He is the Artistic Director/ In 2006 he directed and co-produced a documentary film Spiritual Poetry: Scenarios of Poetic Modernity in Iran (University of Utah : River of Compassion about the old masters of Indian music Press, 1995), Essays on Nima Yushij: Animating Modernity in for The Annenberg Foundation. Persian Poetry (Brill, 2004) and Strange Times, My Dear: The PEN Anthology of Contemporary Iranian Literature (Arcade, 2005) CDs, films and media projects include:Majoun (Sony Classical); as most representative of his contributions to the study of Persian Desert Equations, City of Leaves and Gift of Love (for Deepak literature. n 2012 his landmark Book Recasting Persian Poetry was Chopra); Logic of the Birds (a high-tech media opera with Shirin reissued in paperback form by Oneworld Publications of London. Neshat produced by Lincoln Center, the Walker Art Museum, Art He has also written entries on Iran and Persian literature for many Angle in London and The Ortigia Festival in Siracusa Sicily). reference works, including The Encyclopedia Britannica, The Encyclopedia Iranica, and The Encyclopedia of Translation Studies. His band with Deyhim has performed internationally since 1984. Karimi-Hakkak has won numerous awards and honors, and has From 1968 to 1979 Richard lived between and Morocco served as President of the International Society for Iranian Studies where he studied Arabic, French, music, eastern philosophy and (ISIS) and several other professional academic organizations. He film. He first met his mentor Paul Bowles in 1974 in Tangier. In is spending 2014-15 as the Leverhulme Visiting Professor at the 1982 Bowles nominated him for the American Academy of Arts University of London’s School of Oriental and African Studies and Letters Goddard Liberson Award. In 1989 Bowles introduced (SOAS), after which he plans to retire and devote his time exclusively him to Bernardo Bertolucci. He was a member of the to research and writing. ensemble from 1981 to 1986. He produced Night Spirit Masters for Records with Bill Laswell and Ritmos del Futuro Maroc/ ANNE MITITELLO – Lighting designer Seville, the music for the Moroccan National Day at Seville Expo 92. Anne Militello is a renowned theatrical designer, founder of Vortex In 1997 Richard co-founded and served as artistic director for The Lighting, Los Angeles and Head of Lighting Programs at CalArts. Gnaoua (Gnawa) Festival in Essaouira, Morocco. The festival is the She has collaborated with Deyhim for many years including Woodstock of Morocco. It still attracts more than 400,000 people performances at LaMama, ETC and Carnegie Hall. Her eclectic and many international performers every year. design history includes work on Broadway, international opera www.richardhorowitz.com stages and large scale concert tours. She has worked with artists including Sam Shepard, David Lynch, Tom Waits, , AHMAD KARIMI KAKKAK – Literary Advisor and Translator among others and is the recipient of many prestigious design awards Ahmad Karimi-Hakkak is professor of Persian language, literature including the OBIE for Sustained Excellence. Her work has been and Cultures at the University of Maryland’s School of Languages, seen at the Los Angeles Opera, Lincoln Center, Radio City Music Literatures, and Cultures. He has studied in Iran and the United Hall, Royal Albert Hall, and more. She designed the UCLA 100th States, receiving his Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from Rutgers Anniversary Gala Celebration projected against Royce Hall in May University in 1979. Karimi-Hakkakhas authored, edited or of 2014. She is also a fine artist and has created a 10-story light translated more than 20 books and nearly 150 research articles. sculpture called Light Cycles, which is currently on view at the World The study of language, literature and culture in their various Financial Center in New York and was recently named Critics Pick sociopolitical contexts and along the diachronic dimension has of the Month from Time Out New York. been at the center of his scholarship. He counts Recasting Persian JASON H. THOMPSON – Projection Designer Janet Eilber (Martha Graham Dance Company); and collaborating Thompson has worked as projection designer on more than 50 with John Watkiss (Painter - The Royal Academy of Art). Her Productions around the world. Select credits include The Great own critically acclaimed avant-garde dance theatre works and Immensity and This Beautiful City for the Civilians; The Broadway contemporary theatre pieces have been presented across Europe, in musical Baby It’s You!; Venice at the Public Theatre; Remember Me, London, New York, and Los Angeles. Madeleine is the recipient of an international touring show with Parsons Dance Company; Cage a ‘City of London Dance Performance Award’ and a ‘Theatre Guild Songbooks, a 45-minute selection of Cage Compositions performed Award’. She has a Post Graduate in Movement Arts and is also a at Carnegie Hall, SF Symphony, and New World Symphony in master teacher of Laban Movement and Physical Theatre. Miami; Crescent City Opera, a new experimental opera directed by Yuval Sharon; Bad Apples, a new musical about Abu Ghraib; and Val ERIKA H. SELLIN – Stage Manager Kilmer’s one-man show Citizen Twain. Credits include: Signature Theatre Company, Classic Stage Company, New York Stage & Film, Mark Taper Forum, Pantages He has designed the video for Stars on Ice for the last six years, Theatre, La Jolla Playhouse, South Coast Repertory, Mixed Blood and has worked with the Scott Hamilton Cares Foundation for the Theatre, The Actors’ Gang, Ojai Playwrights Conference. Other last two years. He’s received an LA Ovation Award, Jesse Award credits include: National Breast Cancer Collation, Human Rights Nomination, LADCC Nomination, and LA Weekly Theatre Award Watch, United States Artists, Office of the Americas, Samsung, Nomination for his work. In addition to his professional career, he Children’s Cancer Research Fund, Lustgarten Foundation, The has taught as an adjunct professor at Cal Arts and UCLA. He is a Miracle Project, Planned Parenthood. Member: Casting Society member of USA Local 829. www.jasonhthompsondesign.com of America, Actors’ Equity Association, the Stage Managers’ Association. MFA/University of California, San Diego. SIMON EDERY – Associate Producer Simon Edery is a versatile and successful producer-director and LITERARY TEAM AND TRANSLATORS: voting member at the Directors Guild of America (DGA), The British Academy of Film and Television Arts, (BAFTA) and the Producer’s AMIN BANANI (1926 – 2013) Guild of America (PGA). Simon Edery has realized over 10 feature Amin Banani was born in Tehran on September 23, 1926. He films, and multi-screen performances. Simon is presently the co- received his elementary education at the Zoroastrian School. producer and Artistic Director of a rock opera based on Richard In the midst of the Second World War he came to the United Wagner - The Ring Cycle, with music arranged by Zbynek Mateju, States on board a U.S. troopship, arriving in February 1944. In and co-produced by Chinese artist/writer/producer Mian Mian, with September 1944 he was admitted to Stanford University and he a premiere in Shanghai scheduled for late 2016. Simon Edery’s works graduated in 1947 with a major in history. He obtained his M.A. have appeared in museums and film festivals worldwide. from Columbia University in 1949 and returned to Stanford for his Ph.D. His academic career includes: teaching history at MADELINE DAHM–Assistant Director and Movement Advisor the Overseas Program of the University of Maryland in Athens, Madeleine trained under legendary dance pioneer Martha Graham, Greece, instructor at Stanford University, Assistant Professor of and enjoyed a 17- year career in international contemporary dance. Humanities at Reed College and Research Fellow and Assistant Performance highlights include: dancing in Royal Galas at The Professor at Harvard University in 1961-63. In September 1963 he National Theatre, The Royal Sadlers Wells Theatre, and Covent was invited to UCLA by Professor Gustave von Grunebaum to start Garden; partnering with Christopher Aponte (American Ballet the program of Persian studies. From the start his teaching was Theatre), and Nicholas Gunn (Paul Taylor Company); working with not narrowly focused but covered both history and literature. This

FROM WORDS, NOT SWORDS

BY FARZANEH MILANI

“Two subjects, gender and space, which Forough Farrokhzad addressed half a century ago, continue to be among the most contentious in contemporary Iran today.

Farrokhzad’s words may not have changed the views of those who believed in traditional divisions between the sexes, but they have raised the discussion to a higher plane. Despite having been both maligned and admired during her lifetime, she has come since her death to inspire a large number of women and men who have rejected sex segregation. She has come to stand for a moment in the history of her nation that reflects the tensions and crises as well as the triumphs and joys that she faced as an individual. Farrokhzad’s work was and continues to be a double metaphor. It seldom leaves the Iranian reader impartial, evoking strong attraction or keen aversion, exaggerated hostility or exalted praise. Whereas some consider her a promiscuous woman, dangerous in her advocacy and her choices in life, love, and art, others see her as a cultural hero, a rebel in search of freedom. No matter how she is seen, her fame has grown consistently since, especially since her death. She died at the height of her powers, deprived of the possibility of further evolution both as a woman and as a poet. So we will never know what further heights she may have attained or what depths she might have plumbed. And yet, in spite of her tragic and early death, until Farrokhzad no woman had reached that level of mass appeal reserved for male poets such as Ferdowsi, Hafez, Sa’di, Rumi, Attar, Nezami, and others, who have been revered as producers of a national scripture for centuries. Although her work was banned soon after the 1979 Revolution, she is now the Iranian equivalent of a rock star or guru or cult figure. An icon-bashing woman has ironically become an icon herself.” broad encompassing of Persian cultural history was reflected in his International Society for Iranian Studies. She has written for the research and scholarship. From his first book, The Modernization New York Times, the Washington Post, Christian Science Monitor, of Iran, published in 1961, to his latest contribution to the volume Ms. Magazine, Reader’s Digest, USA Today, and contributed to published by the Danish Academy of Sciences in 2008 entitled National Public Radio’s All Things Considered. She has presented Religious Texts in Iranian Languages, he concerned himself with more than 220 lectures nationally and internationally. A past vital aspects of a living and continuing cultural tradition. Some president of the Association of Middle Eastern Women’s Studies in of his more-significant writings about Amin Banani are chapters America, Milani was nominated for Virginia Faculty of the Year in entitled “Ferdowsi and the Art of Tragic Epic” in Islam and its 1999. She was a Carnegie Scholar, 2006-2007 and “Iranian Woman Cultural Divergence (1971); “The Conversion of a Self-Conscious of the Year” in 2012. Elite” in Individualism and Conformity in Classical Islam (1977); “Ahmad Kasravi and Purification of Persian: A Study in Nationalist VISUAL TEAM: Motivation” in Nation and Ideology (1982); and “Rumi, The Poet” in Mysticism and Poetry in Islam (1988). Cast on film: Sussan Deyhim & Shima Khaki

His collaborative translation with Jascha Kessler of the poetry of JEFFERSON MILLER: Cinematographer Forough Farrokhzad was published in 1982 under the title Bride of For over 25 years Jefferson Miller has been an award-winning Acacias and reviewed as the best translation of Persian poetry into director and cinematographer. In 2003, the film Twin Towers, with English since Fitzgerald’s translation of Omar Khayyam. Miller as director of photography, won the Academy Award for best short documentary. From television features to commercials and FARZANEH MILANI music videos, his camera and directing skills have been showcased Farzaneh Milani is Raymond J. Nelson Professor and Chair of the at such venues as Sundance, the Margaret Mead, Aspen and Department of Middle Eastern and South Asian Languages and Woodstock film festivals. Miller has also filmed projects for National Cultures and former Director of Studies in Women and Gender at Geographic, PBS Frontline, American Masters, the BBC, History the University of Virginia. She is the author of Veils and Words: The Channel, Discovery Channel and the Smithsonian. Miller’s camera Emerging Voices of Iranian Women Writers (Syracuse University work has taken him throughout the United States and much of the Press, 1991); A Cup of Sin: Selected Poems of Simin Behbahani, world, including the Caribbean, the highlands of South America, the with Kaveh Safa (Syracuse University Press, 1996), winner of jungles of Myanmar and the interiors of China, Korea, and Lois Roth Literary Award in Translation; and Words, not Swords: greater Europe. Iranian Women Writers and the Freedom of Movement (Syracuse University Press, 2011) co-winner of Latifeh Yarshater Book Award. SNEHAL PATEL: Cinematographer She has published more than 100 articles, epilogues, forewords, Snehal Patel is a film and television professional with over and afterwards in both Persian and English. She has served as the two decades of experience creating content and adapting new guest editor for special issues of Nimeye-Digar, Persian Language technology. He grew up in Chicago where he began his career, then Feminist Journal, IranNameh and Iranian Studies: Journal of the moved to Mumbai for a few years, participating in one of the largest entertainment industries in the world. For the last eight years, editing world, Ashley has directed her seventh short The Divide Snehal has lived and worked in Los Angeles. He is proud to call which has won an ARRI Alexa Production grant. The Divide has Hollywood his home and looks forward to telling many more stories. received special attention as Official Selection to the Chicago www.fearlessproductions.tv International Film Festival and has been invited to screen at the Global Girls and Women’s View Film Festival. The Divide has LOUIS LACOVIELLO: Editor received many awards most recently a Special Mention Award at the Louis Lacoviello is an actor and filmmaker currently living in Montreal World Film Festival. Ashley is also a graduate fellow of Los Angeles. He attended film school at Full Sail Center for prestigious film school, the American Film Institute. the Recording Arts in Orlando Florida, where he graduated as Valedictorian and began working as an Avid editor shortly after. SIAMAK NASIRI ZIBA: Videographer and Photographer In 1995 he produced the music video for Rainfall by A Flock of He was born in 1978 in Tehran. He discovered the love for the Seagulls. In 2013 he co-produced the feature film Raze, an official art world at the age of 12. That’s when he started learning the art selection at Tribeca Midnight which is being distributed theatrically of photography. He has made 16 short films of which some were by IFC Midnight January 2014. He also co produced the feature selected in various festivals including international Cracow Film filmNight of the Alien, directed by Vaughn Verdie in 2010. As Festival in 2004. Twenty-one countries competed for a spot in writer/director, he was a finalist in the YouTube-Fox Searchlight this festival and his film was the only experimental film that was Project Direct Contest with his filmPlumbing in 2007. In 2009 his selected. Also in 2007, his Video Art was shown at the Ellipse Arts short Talk Is Cheap was an official selection at The L.A. Comedy Center in Virginia. One of his photographs was chosen in Iran Shorts Festival, The Chicago Shorts Festival and Just For Laughs in photo biennial (2007). In 2009, his Artworks were presented in Montreal. His digital comedy shorts have been on Comedy Central, the Phantom Gallery, Los Angeles. He has worked with various Attack of the Show, Just for Laughs TV and Revverlive, as well as video artists in numerous projects as an editor, videographer and all over the web. His acting credits include several independent photographer. He has been part of Sussan Deyhim’s visual team as films and network television shows, with appearances on NCIS, photographer, editor and visual programmer since 2012. CSI Miami, ER, Heroes and Hannah Montana. He also starred in the film The Legacy by writer/director Mike Doto, which won Best KAMARAN SOURESRAFIL: 3D Animation Comic-Related Film a Comic Con. Louis is thrilled to be working on In 1990, he started exploring 3D animation and different 3d This House Is Black, editing along side Sussan and Snehal. software systems (soft image – maya – Cinema 4D) in order to create images and sounds. In 1995, he began working with various music ASHLEY MONTI: Editor bands. He has been working for 18 years in industrial and electro- Born in Toronto Ashley has edited numerous shorts and metal music as well as image synthesizing. documentaries. She is currently being mentored by Oscar-winning editor Gabriella Cristiani. They most recently worked on a sci-fi KOUROSH BEIGPOUR picture Teleios scheduled for release in 2015. Concurrent with the Farsi Fonts and calligraphy as his main instrument. Mehdi learned to play the from MUSICAL TEAM Maestro Ardashir Kamkar, and studied drama at the university as AND VERY SPECIAL MUSICAL GUESTS: well.

JOHN BEASLEY JON OSSMAN Grammy-nominated Beasley, the one-time keyboardist for Miles Jon Ossman began playing string bass at age 11 in the school band. Davis, Freddie Hubbard, Queen Latifah, Steely Dan, Dianne Reeves On his 13th birthday he was given an electric bass, and by 14 Jon and even one stint with James Brown, seems to be heard and seen was working with local bar bands and playing club dates and casuals everywhere. He is Music Director for the Thelonious Monk Institute with a local salsa band. At age 17 Jon moved to to producing the International Jazz Day gala concerts, recently worked steep himself in the study of North and on the James Bond Skyfall movies. He was heard in our favorite TV the sitar. While keeping with his studies Jon continuned playing shows growing up, like Cheers, Family Ties and Fame. He continues bass with various groups when in 1982 He joined Richard Lloyd to work in TV on singing competitions such as Music Director or (Television). Through the years, Jon has gone on to perform and Lead Arranger for American Idol, The Tonight Show, Duets and an record with a number of exceptional artist and players. Credits upcoming ABC show Sing Your Face Off. In between shows, he can include; Chris Botti, Marc Cohn, , John Hall, Levon be found on stage with a wide range of artists from Stanley Clarke, Helm, , Dominic Miller, . Jon lives in Los Carly Simon, Sussan Deyhim and Chaka Khan. Angeles and can be seen performing locally with The Michael White Quintet Unit 2, and touring nationally with Marc Cohn this summer JOHN LEFTWICH and fall. John Leftwich was born in Los Angeles and grew up in San Diego playing music, surfing, and writing as a journalist. He started MAETAR singing in choir and playing clarinet at age 8, and as a teen sang If Miles Davis, George Clinton, Jimi Hendrix, Fela Kuti and Duke and played guitar and bass in bands. John developed an interest in Ellington made a musical child in the Sinai desert, it might sound classical music and jazz in high school, and after studying the double like MAETAR. Hailing from Israel, brothers Hagai (trumpet/ bass in college, he spent many years as bassist with Carmen McRae, shells/flutes/ram’s horn) & Itai (bass/sound design/percussion) Chet Baker, Sergio Mendez, Freddie Hubbard, Nancy Wilson, created MAETAR as a way to fuse their love of soul, jazz, classical Charles Lloyd, and Hubert Laws. He served as musical director for lyricism and sacred tribal music from around the world, both as an several years with Rickie Lee Jones, and has recently worked with expression of peace/cross cultural collaboration, and booty shaking. Lyle Lovett, Blood Sweat and Tears, Dionne Warwick, and Ronnie They are joined by the renowned drummer/world percussionist, Laws. Richard Fultineer and continue to collaborate with stellar musicians the world over. John has played on several hundred recordings and in films such as Mission Impossible 2, As Good as it Gets, The Cooler, It’s ANDREW SILAGY: Audio Engineering and Programming. Complicated and Despicable Me 2. He has worked as arranger Andrew Silagy makes music and sound for films and mixed media. on such films asThe Mask and Dreamgirls, and as composer for In his short time since graduating from the California Institute of filmsLet’s Get Lost, Double Bang and Blood Signed My Name. He the Arts, Silagy has lent his talents to a bevy of Industry leaders currently lives in Studio City with his family and maintains a busy in varied creative practices. Managing a rejection and embrace of work and tour schedule. subjective creative and cultural idioms, he creates work through technological-intensive processes, which can be seen as an obsessive GREG ELLIS realization practice. Reaching a consensus between 19th-century Greg Ellis is a drummer/composer/producer based in Los Angeles. Romantic sensibilities and postmodern process, he makes work He is known internationally through his work with artists such as that is deeply visceral and contemplative. His work can be heard , KODO, , Juno Reactor and his own in feature films, video games, television, orchestras, multimedia projects Vas and Rhythm Pharm. Ellis can also be heard on more stadium tours, mobile apps, and on the dramatic stage than 75 film scores includingArgo, 300, Iron Man and Trilogy. FLASH FERUCCIO: Recording Engineer, Mixing and Live Sound KEN ROSSER Flash Feruccio is an Audio Engineer specializing in studio/mobile Guitarist Ken Rosser has worked with Smokey Robinson, The Bobby recording and live sound. He has recorded more than 200 bands live Bradford Mo’tet, Alphonse Mouzon, The Grand Mothers, Prince all over the country for clients such as Scion — a division of the auto Diabate, Samite, Nels Cline (Wilco), Kevin Breit, David Torn, David manufacturer Toyota, CherryTree Records, Listen For Life and many Pritchard, John Stowell, Page Hamilton (Helmet), Mike Einziger more. Flash works regularly with acclaimed vocalist and composer (Incubus), Tim Brady, Glenn Branca and John Cage. Ken’s stage, film Sussan Deyhim as well as Golden Globe-winning composer Richard and television credits include Frank Zappa’s Joe’s Garage, Lars and Horowitz. He has helped many artists, composers and producers the Real Girl, Always Patsy Cline, Firefly and Spamalot. including: Misha Segal, Herman Jackson, Marcy Levy, Billie Myers and Steve Ferrone. MEDHI BAGHERI Mehdi Bagheri is a composer, kamanche and player. Mehdi was During the years of working with live sound Flash has worked with born in Kermanshahin in 1980, and started his musical endeavors a wide range of genres and artists such as Sly Stone, George Clinton, by learning to play the tonbak, under the instruction of Ramin Bruno Mars, Patti Smith, The English Beat, Jake Shimabukuro, Tafazoli. He then started learning other instruments in order to Tjupurru and with more. He has worked with many great comedians familiarize himself even further with Iranian music and composing. such as Zach Galifianakis, Sarah Silverman, Dana Gould, The Sklar These included the setar and kamanche. He finally chose kamanche Brothers and Bobcat Goldthwait.

RESEARCH TEAM: NASSER SAFFARIAN Born in Tehran on July 9, 1975, Saffarian is a graduate of English Archival Historical Research Literature, writing on cinema since 1991 and has collaborated with a MORRASSA MOHTADI number of film periodicals and newspapers including Film Monthly, As a former dancer with Pars National Ballet in Iran and Los Salam, Adineh, Iran, Cinema jahan, Mehr, Cinema-ye no, Donya- Angeles, Morassaa has always had a deep appreciation for ye tasvir Gozaresh-e Film, Zanan, Nowrooz, Vaghayeh Etefaghieh, performing arts. Born in Sanaa, Yemen and raised in Teheran Iran, Hamshahri, Film International and others. Books include The poet her current passion lies in her work in human rights as a researcher who is not like as his poems and The Chants of Sigh. at the Abdorrahman Boroumand Foundation, working to promote human rights and democracy in Iran. She holds BA in Public Films include: The Night Of Loveliness, The Sun Sleeps, Care For Me, Relations and Communications from Mass Communication Faculty Lady!, Her Memory Framed, Freedom In The Fog, A Good Time for in Iran and resides in the USA with her husband and two children. Tragedy, Auto Stop, The Song of Sunshine, The House is Dark: The Original Version and Forough Farrokhzad`s Trilogy (The mirror of Reliable Sources the soul, Summit of the wave, The Green Cold). HOSSEIN MANSOURI Born in the leper ghetto of Mashad in 1956. In 1962 he the young CLAUS STRIGEL poetess Forough Farrokhzad adopted the boy during the shooting of Born in Munich in 1955, Strigel filmed enthusiastically on Super her first film, The House is Black. 8 between ages 11 and 18. He studied psychology, pedagogy and After Farrokhzad’s early death in 1967, Hossein Mansouri grew communication. In 1976 he co-founded his production company up in her mother’s house in Tehran. After a few years of studies in DENKmal-Film. (“think twice-film”). London he moved to Germany and studied sociology. Since then he has made more than 70 documentaries and fiction Today he lives in Munich as a writer and translator of poetry. He films for cinema and TV. dedicated a large part of his work to his “new mother” Forough Farrokhzad. The main focus of his work centers on social and environmental affairs. Most of his films were shown at international film festivals In 20018, he unveiled his incredible journey of life in Claus Strigel’s and gathered prominent awards. documentary Moon Sun Flower Game: A True Fairytale.

SPECIAL THANKS: COMING UP AT CAP UCLA The Farhang Foundation, Robert Rauschenberg Residency/Robert Rauschenberg Foundation, Shulamit Gallery, Anoushe and Ali Razi, , Farhad Mohit, Ahmad Gramian, Anne Brady, Alan Schwartz, Shulamit Nazarian, Renee Fox, Narges Hamzianpour, Abbas, Afsoon, NazziBeglari, Seifollah Samadian, Eve Ensler and VDay, Laurie Frank, Shari Rezai, Ameeta Nanji, Peter Scarlet, Shirin Neshat, Bita Daryabari, Christian Dominguez, Peter Frank, Firoozeh Khatibi, Leila Jarman, Arash Akhtari, Juliette Menager, Shari Rezai, Homa Sarshar, Manije Mirdamad,,Afsaneh Bassirpour, Soumaya Akaarboune, Peter Rogers, , Nahal Tadjadod, Steve Weisberg , Farhang Farahi, Homa Sarshar,Sohrab Akhavan, Radiohamrah, Andisheh TV, Javanan Magazine, Pars TV, Shida Pegahi , Bethany Barnes, Zack Avshalomov, Margot Brahmi, Parviz Kardan and Kourosh Beigpour. Frank Warren: PostSecret Live

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Wed, Jan 28 at 8 pm Sussan Deyhim would like to thank the original team that worked Royce Hall on the preview version of this project including co-producer Simon Edery for being a dedicated part of the project since 2012, Jon Kellam who co-directed the preview version of the piece, choreographer Madeline Dahm and brilliant performers, Sharokh Moshkin Ghalam, Shima Khaki, Maribel Mayorg, Raydel Caceres and Drea Sobke.

Much gratitude to all of our Indigogo supporters: Sara Nodjoumi, Franklin Londin, Maraine Glicksman, Linda Feferman, Willard Morgan, Levantine Center, Hugh Levick, Victoria Faust, Babak Razi, Joslyn Barnes, Russell Howard & Bill Miller, Nazy Kaviani, Cynthia Fitzgerald, Tim Newman, Kathryn McCallum, Walter Robbins, Nancy Meli Walker, Fariba Ghaffari, Meena Nanji, Elizabeth T Gray Jr., Jodie Evans, Roya Boroumand, Phillip Barbee, Julie Yannatta, Virpi Pahkinen, Carol Bundy, Michelle Areces, Tracy McKnight, Simon Posford, Jay Jazayeri, Kyle Abraham/Abraham.In.Motion Gabriela Tillman, Shari Rezai, Pauline Oliver’s, Esther Chafe, Avishay Mosheim, Ameeta Nanji, Nicole Guillemot, Shahla Sabet, The Ambassador Brian Barry, Tamara Alexa, Afsane Bassir-Pour, WJMBruls, Carey Thu, Feb 12 at 8pm Cameron, Armine Zohrabian, Zack Avshalomov. When The Wolves Came Fri, Feb 13 at 8pm Royce Hall

Gabriel Kahane: The Ambassador Fri-Sat, Feb 27-28 at 8 pm Freud Playhouse The boards of CAP UCLA and Design for Sharing would like to thank all the members who have made a choice to join them in supporting arts education and the art of performance at UCLA.

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This listing represents memberships from July 1, 2013-January 15, 2015. If you have questions or would like further information on how you can support CAP UCLA please contact Yvonne Wehrmann at [email protected] or (310) 794-4033.