I do not enjoy modern life

Theater News Base: The actor, who is currently on stage with the play “Burlington”, talks about the changes in our lives today, that most of our lives have been transferred to cyberspace through the double-edged sword. He is also unlikely to be seen on television again.

Seyed Javad Yahyawi is both a theater actor and a former TV presenter.

These days, he is on stage in the play “Burlington” directed by Massoud Mirtaheri in Malek Hall.

His presence in this play was the primary motivation for this conversation, but in this talk, rather than focusing on the features of this play, we talked about life in the Corona and its effects on the human future and the uncertain future of theater.

Yahyawi, who has acted in two plays during the Corona, talks about his motivation for working in this period: You can’t stop working; Work that we are constantly practicing and experiencing, and our growth takes place in the heart of this experience and we discover parts of our being. That’s why I had one job a year during this period, last year I went on stage with the play “Cricket” and now I play in the play “Burlington”.

Neither the actor nor the spectator is happy

Yahyawi, however, continues with regret: But there is no doubt that nothing is left of the theater boom, and I say this with dissatisfaction. These days, neither the theater activists nor their audience are in a good mood. We all work in semi-off and semi-light conditions. No more can be expected. As an actor, I believe that each work has its own personal and group experience, but when the audience does not come or the executive group and the audience do not participate in this conversation happily, this experience is a failed or at least not perfect experience. However, we accept theater and Keep this culture alive, not with ideal expectations but with the circumstances.

We have made nothing but hope

Asked how successful we have been in gaining the audience’s trust to attend theaters after several closures and reopening of theaters, and how this trust-building has taken place, he explains: Fewer and fewer people have gained confidence to attend, but we still do not see the difference in people’s behavior in theaters. Maybe it would have been easier if we had worked in another field, as people are more confident about going to the stadium, but this has not happened in the theater yet.

Yahyawi adds: “Some of my theater friends still have obsessions and disabilities for being in closed spaces.” However, returning to the previous state requires the passage of time, and we can only hope that with the decrease in the number of deaths and the growth of vaccination, this confidence-building will be done gradually.

There are no people who liked your post

The actor, of course, does not consider the new methods of theater advertising to be very effective, and says in this regard: For several years, theater advertising has been concentrated in the Instagram space, and experience has shown that it does not work. We may have informed ourselves, but people active in this medium prefer to spend their time in the same cyberspace than in the real world. When you post on Instagram, he likes it all the time, but when you go on stage in the theater, there is no news of those who liked your article, because it is easier to be in cyberspace than to want to spend time and get out of the house. And buy a ticket and sit in the hall to watch the theater.

Cyberspace has made people badly accustomed

“I do not want to question human experiences in cyberspace, but it has gotten people into a little bit of a habit, and he likes to point everything out there with a flick of the finger,” he said. Achieve. The Corona era showed that parts of our lives did not require much physical presence. As education in schools and universities has shifted to cyberspace, this situation has shown that we may need to reconsider our physical presence in some cases. However, the process is a transition from one form to another.

We can not turn a blind eye to change

Yahyawi, who, like many other theater artists, is seriously concerned about the future of the art, adds: It can no longer be expected to be used by the general public as a more pervasive medium and to maintain its social functions.

He speaks of the historical place of theater: Theater is an ancient art and is related to the ancient times of human life and ancient ways of communication. But today we can not turn a blind eye to the changes of modern life because the coordinates of modern life have changed. Today, people’s behavior has changed even to provide for the necessities of life. I do not know why we should expect people to think the same way.

Television; An old horse that needs to be dismounted sooner

Yahyawi refers to the human experience of more distant years and adds: Once upon a time, people used to go to theaters or opera houses to receive a cultural product. The advent of television means that the producer of culture has decided to go to the audience’s house and offer them cultural or even entertaining content. After decades of television domination, each of us today has our own personal media that can be used both to broadcast our personal messages and to receive messages from others. At the same time, we are informed about each other’s situation. For this reason, I think television has become an old horse that should be dismantled sooner.

He then recalls the originality of theater, a special feature that has made this art last for centuries and explains: Theater is a very original art and is rooted in human emotions that has lasted to this day but the tangible experience of the Corona pandemic showed things in us. It changes and transforms us into pre- and post-corona human beings, and I say all this with dissatisfaction.

I do not enjoy modern life

John, who is not happy with the modern age of life, continues: I basically do not agree with the modern experiences of human life and I am not very happy with it. I may look backward, but I prefer human life in ancient times because human life was closer to the spirit of life, but these modern-day embellishments and other additions to life have nothing to do with the spirit of life.

“I’m not very optimistic,” he said in response to a question about whether the theater could be revived in this situation. This situation caused people to think in other ways and gradually introduce other ways into their lives. This change can not be opposed or stopped from growing because it is part of human evolutionary experience, but sometimes some ascents remain like a fountain that rises suddenly and is not like a branch whose ascent has roots. The fountain climbs suddenly fall. I’m talking about this fall. If we neglect the principle of life in the ascents of the modern period, we will have a sudden falling fountain like that.

We will either go deeper or become monsters

In response to the question of whether the tangibility of life and the transience of life in the Corona can make us appreciate life more, he recalls: Facing the fragility of life and the vulnerability of man is not a new philosophy. Just as Khayyam had the same attitude and the people knew him as a sage, it means that his thought was approved by the people, but in any case, human beings usually lived as if they were supposed to stay in this world forever. At this point, Corona is facing death on a router. From this point of view, I hope people appreciate life and moments more and make it richer. But there is also a danger that if this view does not become entrenched in the deeper layers of our thinking, we will become abusive people and focus more on material things and wealth, because man strives to give his life a better quality, and modern life says a higher quality means More material. So this change is like a double-edged sword that has both; If we do not dig deeper, there is a danger that we will become monsters.

I do not think this experience has made a difference to us. We deal with this phenomenon in accordance with our personality, reflections and awareness; We become better people or new monsters.

My distance from TV is not just physical

Sayed Javad Yahyawi, who is known to many people as a TV presenter, says in the final part of this conversation about his reappearance in this media after years of being banned: “It is very unlikely that I will work with a TV presenter again.” In the past few months, I was invited to perform a few programs, but I was not very interested. The distance I got from the TV is not just physical. Our minds and beliefs are far apart. Maybe in the performance space, I do not have the efficiency of the past and I do not think I will be seen as a presenter on TV anymore. It may appeal to me as an actor or talker who talks indirectly, but I do not like to perform on the show, considering that it is the work of the media on our television and that its presenters have generally become general scientists. Some time ago, the host of a morning program, after reading the headline, commented on the news as if he were the ruler of a land and he must give an opinion on any theoretical phenomenon and find a way out. I am not from this job.

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