When Persian mythology, immersive cinema and theatre are fused together – something extraordinary is born.
Award-winning video artist Elham Eshraghian-Haakansson takes this creative leap in 'A Love Letter To The Nightingale': an unapologetic tale of love exploring all of its complexities, as it dives into the tragedy of the Nightingale.
Performers Danny Aghaie and Ashkaan Hadi take on the roles of Rage and Reason respectfully. . . The two faces to which The Nightingale is tethered. Through film, light, sound, movement and spoken word, the tragedy unfolds.
It's an ode to those who hope for a better tomorrow.
Before 'A Love Letter To The Nightingale' takes to the stage at Perth's Blue Room Theatre, we speak to Elham Eshraghian-Haakansson. This is her theatrical debut. We speak to her about venturing into this space. . . Where and how 'Nightingale' got its wings. . . And how Elham brought her existing creativity and passion for the arts to the performance.
This is a poetic epic – a saga about love. Tell us a bit about what audiences can expect in this show.
The audience can expect exactly what you've described – a saga about love, along with all the sounds, colours, and voices that accompany this state of being. It’s a journey of confronting the pain that comes with love. The character of Rage demands, 'Listen to me,' while Reason urges, 'Sit with it'. The characters of Rage and Reason were inspired by this quote: “The world in the past has been ruled by force, and man has dominated over woman by reason of his more forceful and aggressive qualities both of body and mind. But the balance is already shifting; force is losing its dominance, and mental alertness, intuition, and the spiritual qualities of love and service, in which woman is strong, are gaining ascendancy. Hence the new age will be less masculine and more permeated with the feminine ideals, or, to speak more exactly, will be an age in which the masculine and feminine elements of civilization will be more evenly balanced.” – Abdu’l-Baha, quoted by J. E. Esselmont in 'Baha’u’llah And The New Era', p. 149. They can anticipate a blend of sound, light, cinema, and live performance, intertwined in a crafted fairytale inspired by Persian mythology, Bahá'í spirituality, and lived experience.
What can you tell us about the cast of this show?
I've worked with these two since the start of my career – back when I was still studying. It's been a privilege to watch them grow as actors. To be in this space with them and learn with them has been especially sacred to me. They haven’t done this type of performance before, so it requires a lot of courage and resilience. Just the other night our creative consultant said to me, “It’s no small thing – these two Iranian-Australian men taking the stage. It’s profound.” I’m truly in awe of them. Danny plays Rage, bringing stage presence, charisma, and grit. Ashkaan embodies Reason, finding wisdom in pain and endurance. We’ve explored 'who is Rage' and 'who is Reason', and they also represent the Nightingale, which is no small feat. My role is to hold space for their voices; they are doing the hard work.
As lead artist for this work, where did you begin when it came to putting this show together?
This work has evolved through years of exploring folklore and spirituality. In 2022, I immersed myself in mythical worlds and spiritual epics, particularly 'The Seven Valleys' by Bahá'u'lláh. A resonant excerpt states, “The steed of this Valley is pain. And if there be no pain, this journey will never end.” From there, I created this script. Another turning point for me was witnessing the profound theatre works of local artists: Daley Rangi (T'akatāpui', 2022), Meyne Wyatt ('City of Gold', 2022), Jay Emmanuel (B'eneath the Music', 2023, 'Children of the Sea', 2021), Marrugeku ('Jurrungu Ngan-ga', 2022), and Gina Williams & Guy Ghouse ('Wundig Wer Wilura', 2024). These works had a significant impact on me in various ways, it’s what’s been giving me goosebumps!
Your works up to now invite viewers to be a ‘witness’, rather than a ‘passive bystander’. First of all, what inspired you to take this approach in the work you create?
When I speak of the witness versus the passive bystander, I ask “how do we make the audience co-authors of the work?” I am always interested in how we create space for empathic connection especially in fostering a sense of understanding towards things that are not quite familiar. It’s a loaded question, “How do we create empathy?” And I know it’s going to my life’s work! In terms of theatre, I feel like this is the first step in uncovering what this pathway to the audience means – it’s so physical, real. It’s an exciting space to be in where you can create a world where audiences can partake in the story. I’m not quite there yet for this work but it’s getting there – those pathways are starting to manifest. Being in the Blue Room really allows me a space to experiment with the idea of ‘the witness’ versus ‘passive bystander’ and what this means to my process..
How is it brought to ’Nightingale’?
This approach of the witness has led me to discovering certain creative explorations especially in Magical Realism, in the ways that the 'magic', the 'realism', and the 'mythology' anchor the themes we explore in trauma. These include the discomforting and difficult themes of abuse, but also facilitate a sense of safety and truth in sharing them. It’s unapologetic. I think magical realism allows the artwork, and myself as an artist, to hold agency on how this is expressed sensitively. And offer this call to ‘witness’. The script and the story of Rage and Reason is ultimately a journey of the soul traversing through these spiritual landscapes where tragedy unveils something more – a ‘false’ fairytale almost. The call to witness – is about revealing the universality of our shared human experience – in love, pain and loss.
You’re first and foremost a video artist, and this is your theatrical debut. How have you found the transition from working with recorded/filmic imagery, to a medium like theatre where the action is happening right before the eyes of the audience in real time?
It's been a huge leap, but creatively, it's expanded my palette. I feel like I have more colors to paint with, more tools to shape the ‘clay’. While film and theatre differ, they share the same essence. It feels like my world has opened up tenfold. The transition has been challenging however in a way that has empowered my purpose as an artist. Creatively, I love the moving image and I love live-performance – so to see these two forms clash has made me think, “I’m in the right place”. My producer put it perfectly – if film is a sprint, theatre is a marathon. Despite the challenges of diving into this deep end, I’ve loved every minute of it. This is why I’m an artist, and I feel privileged and honoured to grow and learn in this space. I hope to bring my own spin to theatre and start building these bridges – connecting theatre, film, and community.
What sorts of themes and messages were important for you to communicate in 'a love letter to the Nightingale’, and why?
It's ultimately about love – finding it within yourself while facing pain head-on, and embracing its grit, rawness, and complexity. Love is the ultimate human experience, and this explores its many faces. Every project reflects a chapter and it’s a story that needs to be shared especially given the situation of our world. I do fervently think, we can make the world a better place when we hold space to safely explore the things that are hard to digest. With consultation comes action. This is my creative consultation in a way.
The biggest challenge in putting this show together has been. . .
I can only describe it as a deep dive! Learning this world of theatre – has been almost a shock to the system – but I’ve realised I thrive under this kind of pressure. This has been essential training for me, helping me figure out what works, what doesn’t, and how to navigate these barriers and successes. I think while it’s been a challenge it’s also made me critically think of ways to address how I create these spaces as a community-driven artist. I’ll definitely carry these lessons into future projects. It’s been an intense bootcamp, but the challenges have been the greatest reward, preparing me for ambitious future projects.
The greatest reward, on the flipside, has been. . .
Seeing members of your community in artistic spaces that you wouldn’t necessarily see in – is powerful. This project is the blueprint bridge in helping me understand how to create opportunities connecting theatre, the arts, and community. I'm always focused on positive social impact, not just in the outcome but in the process. I’ve really enjoyed bonding with my team – I do think the cornerstone of art-making is building relationships and trust. I am not really interested in the transactional approach of any industry and it’s been a huge reward for me to have the space to work with this incredible team, build on these relationships and learn from them as I go. It’s those moments within the making, and the grunt work that sing loudly to me.
At the time of writing, you’re launching into tech week. What have you looked forward to most about the moment this show begins to truly come to life in its space?
In every project – and this one is no different – my favourite moments are the times I witness our collective hard work involved in building this world – overcoming the barriers and laying down the groundwork, brick by brick–- this is what I look forward to. This is what I mean when I say when the process is as significant as the outcome. I look forward to having a moment of taking it all in and witnessing what we have built together. To witness this story and all the parts that make the whole – it's truly empowering.
'A Love Letter To The Nightingale' plays The Blue Room Theatre (Perth) 8-26 October.
