Stage Review - Where is Here? (Seattle Public Theatre / Seda Iranian Theatre Ensemble)
Stage Review - Where is Here?
Presented By: Seattle Public Theatre / Seda Iranian Theatre Ensemble - Seattle, WA
Show Run: January 17 - February 02, 2025
Date Reviewed: Friday, January 17, 2025 (Opening Night)
Run Time: 70 minutes (no intermission)
Reviewed By: Greg Heilman
There is no doubt that we’re in a challenging time in America, and one of the topics at the forefront of everyone’s mind is immigration. And while what most of us hear about in the news is related to the idea of illegal immigration, those crossing the border into America without following an established and legal process, in order to understand that issue, it’s imperative to develop a sense of empathy toward the motivation behind emigration from and immigration to America in general. In other words, why do people leave their country and why do they come here? In Where is Here?, the brand new play from Naghmeh Samini, co-founder of Seda Iranian Theatre Ensemble, Azam Kibiri is trading in the more restrictive lifestyle she has been used to living in Iran for the freedoms promised her in America. As she stands at the baggage claim, awaiting her luggage, she finds herself nervously telling anyone who will listen, and even some who won’t, about her life back in Iran, when something strange begins to happen. After everyone has gotten their luggage and left, leaving her alone with her thoughts, still waiting for her own bags to appear, she recounts her life and her memories while certain artifacts from her past appear on the belt, causing her to contemplate her motivations and her place in the world, at the same time forcing her to realize that as an immigrant, you’re never really at home, you’re always between worlds, not comfortable with where you came from and never completely accepted where you go. Where is Here? is about finding one’s identity in that in-between world and coming to terms with what it is to be oneself. At the same time, it’s a lesson for the audience in the perspective of the immigrant, knowing that if what is waiting for someone in a new place is one where he or she will never feel completely comfortable or accepted, there must be something worse at home that drives that individual to this new life.
Seda Iranian Theatre Ensemble has partnered with Seattle Public Theatre for Where is Here?, and what they’ve done is something unique and, quite frankly wonderful. The show, with a short runtime of 70 minutes, no intermission, is being offered in both English and Farsi, and during its upcoming Saturday and Sunday performances, the two are being offered back to back, giving audiences the chance to see the show in English and then right away again in Farsi. Naghmeh originally wrote the piece in Farsi, and it was translated by Neusha Farahani into English, and while both versions were offered on opening night, I only attended the English version. I imagine, though, that the Persian version is as beautifully done as the Farsi language sounds, and seeing the English version first allows those non-Persian speakers in the audience to follow along and let the words flow over them. The story is, of course, the same, with Azam just arriving at the airport, which isn’t specified but feels like an East Coast international hub in its design, a design presented by the other Seda co-founder Parmida Ziaei. It’s a design that meets the high standard of Parmida’s other designs that we’ve become so familiar with around Seattle. The signs look like airport signs, the conveyer that is the baggage carousel is functional and realistic, with the standard yellow lights illuminating when luggage is about to enter into view, and the wall behind it scuffed, as though it’s seen years of baggage come through. Naghmeh isn’t just the playwright, she’s also the show’s director, which surely helps in crafting a physical representation of the vision in her head. Her lighting designer is Dani Norberg and her sound designer is Andi Villegas, with projection design (including those aforementioned airport signs) by Ian Evans. At first, the design elements aren’t too complex, bright lighting for the baggage claim area with the background din of the airport paging system, at a reasonable and realistic volume, but as the show progresses, and Azam becomes more contemplative, the sound and lights become more impressively deployed and that crescendo ends at an apex of emotion and volume, highlighting the wonderful work from this creative team.
That emotional apex has a lot to do with Azadeh Zanjani, of course, the sole actor in this one-person interrogation of the immigration experience. Azadeh handles the English language performances while Sarvin Alidaee manages the Farsi performances. In a one-person show, with no ensemble to lean on, the sole actor on stage is responsible for driving not just the plot of the story, but the emotion and the energy as well. The best quality about Azadeh’s performance is her energy, which feeds into her emotion, from the way she nervously talks to the others in the baggage claim area, which is a skill in itself given that the other people are implied and not physically on stage, to her anxiety at not knowing where her luggage is as everyone else is getting their and leaving, to her anger at having been repressed for so long in her life, pushed down at every turn in her home country, and yet not sure what awaits her in her new one. She presents the immigrant perspective very well, her confusion at what exactly the airport security cameras are for, or not knowing what the protocols are around the airport, It’s a good performance that requires a quick delivery and a lot of movement, both of which that energy she brings contributes to nicely.
Azam’s search for identity isn’t a straightforward one, though. As she contemplates what she left behind and what lies in front of her, the static in Azam’s mind becomes almost too much, which is part of that crescendo of energy and emotion I mentioned before. It’s also where the light, sound, and projection designs excel in how they come together in a physical manifestation, a representation of that internal static. The show turns a bit avant garde at this point, and in doing so combines the immigrant journey with Azam’s personal one in a very creative way. Naghmeh turns to a decent amount of symbolism to bring the story home, and while there’s a bit of a “what did I just see?” aspect to the final act, constructing it in this manner makes the play contemplative, and given the current national situation, a little critical thought is not a bad thing.
Where is Here?, the co-production from Seda Iranian Theatre Ensemble and Seattle Public Theatre, feels like the right story for our country’s current political climate. Playwright Naghmeh Samini presents the immigrant experience in an empathetic way, one that provides insight into the challenges immigrants face in finding their identity, living between two worlds, second-guessing what they left behind and uncertain of the road ahead. With a short run time, and an option between seeing the show in English or Farsi (or both!), Where is Here? is a play that will make you consider the immigrant issue in a wholly human way, a perspective we all need right about now.
Where is Here?, a co-production from Seattle Public Theatre and Seda Theatre Ensemble runs on stage at the theatre on Green Lake through February 2. For more information, including ticket availability and sales, visit Seda at https://www.sedatheatre.com/ or Seattle Public Theatre at https://www.seattlepublictheater.org/.
Photo credit: Soolmaz Dadgari
