Brother killing brother

[Sahand Sahebdivani]

Hi everyone,

The first show I made that pushed my limits as a storyteller was the one I made with Raphael. We took to the stage as an Iranian and an Israeli, telling fun stories of togetherness: did you know our mothers came from the same country and had similar lives? Well, the story was fun until it wasn't, and we started fighting on stage. The only way to resolve our differences was to dive into our ancient stories (myself in the Shahnameh, the Persian book of Kings, and raphael in the old Jewish tales). Somehow the old stories tell us of deep truths the madness of today obscures. 

It's an experience I remember for two reasons. One is that Raphael and I are making a new show, for which again we will dive into the ancient tales (the first brother-killing!). It will be made and performed this summer and beyond. The other reason is that this evening I am back in Mezrab to host an edition of MYTHOS. The one night in the month in which we only tell the fantastical stories from the world of Mythology, Folk tales and legends. I am looking forward to it. Will we find answers for today in the ancient myths? Only one way to find out. See you tonight! Doors open at 19.00, myths start at 20.00.

Beyond tonight we have:

This Saturday: Mezrab Original Comedy Night / because laughter is the best medicine. Here's where you get your tickets.

On Sunday we get together for a jam. Maestro Babak expertly guides the music strands into becoming a tapestry of sound. Join with an instrument or just come and listen. Doors 19.00. Live music meeting, 20.00

On Thursday Feb 12 we are proud to host the Arabic Albaidar Duo. They will regale us with folk melodies, classics and original pieces. The poetry will be understood by Arabic ears, the music will be understood by all hearts. If you are curious what this sounds like, have a listen here.

There you go. Stories, Laughter and Music. The holy trinity of Mezrab. 

Sahand & Team

www.mezrab.nl

PS. Did you know that the brilliant creator of the Double Dutch sketches (@letsdoubledutch) Derek Mitchell is a local celebrity. I know he makes brilliant shows, takes them to Edinburgh and gets loads of 5 star reviews. Well, he also likes the Mez audiences, and is bringing his show Goblin to us on Sunday Feb 22 in the afternoon.  Goblin is a dark, funny solo performance about obsession, isolation and the cost of being seen. Have a look and get your tickets! 

PPS, long time readers of this newsletter know that we are invested in bringing the big names of the traditional storytelling scene to Amsterdam. We are very lucky that the Jewish-British star Shonaleigh is visiting the Netherlands. For those who don't know her, Shonaleigh continues the storytelling tradition of her Bubbe, her grandmother, a wise woman with roots in the Netherlands. Her stories are often a take on the ancient stories you don't find in the written texts. For the Mezrab she brings her story: the Fool of the Warsaw Ghetto. Info and tickets here.

PPPS, weren't we supposed to have the Iranian star Majid Kazemi play this week? Indeed, but we decided it's too painful to get on stage and share happy songs as an Iranian. He called us and asked to postpone the concert. If you missed last week's Samizdat event, which was mostly about Iran, on the podcast we just released my story which I told introducing the night. It's not about the Iran of today (we had other tellers talk about it), but a little history of Baba Mezrab in jail and the lessons he learned there. Here's a link to the podcast. 

PPPPS, I opened this mail by telling you about my meeting with Raphael. It was this meeting that led to the two of us, together with theatermaker Farnoosh, to open the Mezrab Storytelling School. If you've been on the fence about taking one of the courses, now is the time to sign up! We have a full roster! Start with a three day introduction course, you will not regret it. All info on www.mezrabstorytellingschool.nl