Arash Isapour

Supervisor: Dr. Allana Lindgren

Arash completed his MA in Dramatic Literature at Soore University in Tehran, Iran. His MA thesis was focused on the dramaturgy of three plays of Caryl Churchill in Iran (i.e. Top Girls, Mad Forest, and Love and Information). Due to his main interest in political theatre, Arash found themes of these plays closely applicable to the Iranian audience. He worked under the supervision of Prof. Naghmeh Samini, who is also an Iranian reputable playwright and researcher.

Since he finished his MA, Arash has been active in doing research and has participated in different domestic festivals in Iran. He was awarded the second prize for the best academic research in the 6th Soore University Festival of Theatre in Tehran. Arash was also nominated for the research section of the 17th Iran International Festival of University Theatre; at the same festival, his production of Caryl Churchill's latest play Love and Information was also nominated for the best performance director.

His main research interests are grounded in political theatre, modernism, and feminist playwrights. It includes the Brechtian theatre and achievements of other theatre practitioners of the modern age (e.g. Joan Littlewood) that contribute to a social change regarding a wide variety of social discriminations. Additionally, focusing on the dramatic works of the contemporary feminist playwrights is his other area of interest. These playwrights include Caryl Churchill and Helen Cixous whose main themes are not only about gender discriminations but also concerned with other forms of socio-political discriminations including class inequity.