Iranian stage director to bring “The Kitchen” on stage and screen

TEHRAN,Dec.21(MNA) -- Celebrated director Ali Rafiei is working on stage and screen adaptations of “The Kitchen”. The play and the film will be an adaptation of “The Kitchen” written by the British dramatist Arnold Wesker about the place of women in society, Rafiei told . Wesker wrote the play in 1957. It is set in a basement kitchen of a large restaurant with thirty chefs, waitresses, and kitchen porters. The central story tells of a married English waitress, Monique and her dilemmas. “The story is about a woman who suddenly finds herself alone after her husband leaves her, forcing her to shoulder the responsibility of her life and her children herself,” Rafiei mentioned. He said that the story narrates the problems the woman faces after divorce and her loneliness in society. “I hope I can find a producer interested in making the movie since the film is about a new subject and it is a low-budget project,” he added. Rafiei has also finished a screenplay “Captain’s Daughter” which is an adaptation of Eugene O’Neill’s “Anna Christie”. “By adaptation I mean harmonizing the social situation of the target play with today’s Iran to make it tangible for modern audiences. “From my point of view, writing a screenplay or a play is nourished by different inspirational sources however, the important thing is the author’s imagination, which forms the main resource,” he said. After a 46-year theatrical career, Rafiei quit directing plays due to the bureaucratic difficulties he faced in staging them in Iran. He returned to stage with “It Is Not Snowing in Egypt” which was performed at Tehran’s City Theater Complex. His “Fox Hunting”, which went on stage at the Vahdat Hall in 2009, received acclaims and was warmly welcomed by theatergoers. His debut movie “Fish Fall in Love” in 2005 was acclaimed by critics and filmgoers. His latest movie “Mr.Yusef” also received awards at the festivals. Sir Arnold Wesker, 79, is a prolific British dramatist known for his contributions to kitchen sink drama -- a term coined for plays, movies and books which used a style of social realism and often depicted the domestic situations of the working class. He is the author of 42 plays some of which have been translated into 17 languages and performed worldwide.