The Door

The Door is a performance about immigration and the uncertainty of leaving or staying.

The story follows two women, both named Marjaneh, whose journeys move in opposite directions: one leaves Iran for Europe, while the other returns from Europe to Iran.

Although their journeys are opposite, both are confronted with the same question: was the decision to leave or return the right one?

Through movement, speech, sound and repetition, the performance approaches immigration as a condition of uncertainty, where questions of identity, belonging, memory and the possibility of return remain unresolved. The Door looks at the experience of leaving one’s homeland and the tension between the need to protect one’s existence and the fear of losing one’s identity, memories and cultural belonging.

Credits

Written and Directed by: Mehdi Mashhour

Art Direction Advisor: Benyamin Esbati

International Manager: Sara Rasoulinejad

Poster Design: Mohammad Mosavat, Reza Jabari

Cast

The production was presented in different countries and festivals over several years, with different actors taking part in each presentation. The following list includes the casts involved in the different versions of the performance:

• Somaye Shoghi, Golshad Moradi
• Vunna Hemati, Elham Jalali
• Shiva Ebrahimi, Hadis Miramini
• Niayesh Bahmaniye, Shiva Makinian
• Shiva Makinian, Mina Zaman

International Presentations

Reviews & Press

The Door — Theasy, New York

About the International Journey

The Door began its international journey in Germany in 2015. Over the following years, the production was presented at theatre and fringe festivals in the United States, Sweden, Canada, France and Spain, before being invited to Adelaide Fringe in Australia in 2018.

The international presentations brought the production into different theatrical and cultural contexts while maintaining its original focus on immigration, displacement, identity and the uncertainty of belonging.