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Traverse Theatre – Traverse 1
A complex investigation of the mysterious murder of Fereydoun Farrokhzad transforms into a fascinating exploration of the internet and culture. Summary
Rating
Unmissable!
Fereydoun Farrokhzad, the renowned Iranian pop sensation and refugee was found brutally murdered in his flat in Germany on 7 August 1992. To this day, the case remains unsolved. An exploration into his death stays at the core of Things Hidden Since the Foundation, however, the show also investigates why we search for these answers and the significance of true crime podcasts and Wikipedia.
Javaad Alipoor comes on stage and encourages the audience to go on their phones. He tells us to find Wikipedia, search for random topics and then click on the first link in the article. Soon, you find yourself five links removed from the original topic you looked up. Alipoor wants us to get lost down a Wikipedia rabbit hole, something that he found himself doing too often during lockdown. He likens this searching experiment to the feeling of knowing about topics, but not truly understanding them. This is how he frames Farrokhzad’s life and murder.
He explores the idea further through the use of a satirised true crimes podcast. The set opens up to reveal Asha Reid on a mezzanine balcony with videos of her projected on two side screens. There is a room filled with investigation files. To the left is a recording station where she sits in front of a microphone and produces a podcast about Farrokhzad’s murder. Alipoor humorously refers to true crime podcasts as “the most Western response ever.”
The podcast element is an innovative way to provide the audience with historical context of the 1979 Islamic Revolution and the Chain Murders (1988-1998). It also serves as a reminder that although we are receiving knowledge, listening to a podcast does not mean we understand. Like Reid sarcastically says, people just accept what they hear in podcasts, never bothering to check the show notes for further information: they are just comforted by the thought that they are there.
The multiple layers of the show start unravelling and the audience discovers things aren’t always as they seem. For instance, we’ve assumed the video of Reid conducting the podcast is a live stream. Yet, it turns out it has been pre-recorded, as it continues to play after Reid gets up from her chair – a literal reminder that we can’t always believe what we see, or indeed hear. Likewise, when we first meet Ramin Seyed-Emami (stage name King Raam), he appears in digital form in a video on the screen. He surprises the audience when he walks out on stage, blurring the lines between reality and technology.
The show presents intricate dynamics between countries that perceive themselves as at the centre of the world and those that often feel demoted to the periphery. Alipoor gives the example of referring to Farrokhzad as the “Iranian Tom Jones”, not Tom Jones as the “Welsh Fereydoun Farrokhzad”. Despite his immense fame and sex-symbol status in Iran, Farrokhzad remained unfamiliar to most individuals outside the Iranian sphere. Alipoor suggests that this is due to established internet structures in a post-colonial world.
Despite the warnings of going down a Wikipedia rabbit hole, I found myself in one when I left the theatre. I tried to find out as much information about Fereydoun Farrokhzad as I possibly could., likewise, Alipoor and his company. Undoubtedly, I will continue to ponder this multimedia show and its impact for some time.
Written by: Javaad Alipoor with Chris Thorpe
Co-created by: Natalie Diddams and Javaad Alipoor
Dramaturg: Chris Thorpe
Directed by: Javaad Alipoor
Set, costume and lighting design by: Ben Brockman
Things Hidden Since the Foundation played as part of EdFringe 2023
