As part of a Nora residency, Hamed Amanpour, Iranian theatre director, playwright and researcher, and Sahar Rezvani, Iranian theatre director, actress and playwright, were welcomed to the Maison Maria Casarès from 12 May to 2 June 2025 to work on their play entitled "The Sea Has Another Language ‘ (The Sea Has Another Language).
Read on to find out what the two theatre artists had to say about their experience.
’During our three-week residency, we enjoyed a calm, green and inspiring environment that greatly facilitated our creative work. The natural setting, the serenity of the place and the warm welcome from the team created the perfect conditions for us to immerse ourselves fully in the writing process. It was a suspended moment in time, conducive to concentration, creative dialogue and the deepening of our artistic approach.
During this period, we had the pleasure of welcoming two groups of secondary school students on 15 and 27 May 2025 for discussions about theatre. These encounters touched us deeply: the students reminded us of our own students in Iran. We shared theatre games with them, presented our project and discussed themes such as creation, exile, freedom of expression and the role of the artist in society. These sincere and enthusiastic exchanges were a source of energy and emotion for us.
During the third week, we met the French writer Padrig, and we greatly enjoyed our discussions with him about theatre.
At the end of the residency, we were able to finalise the writing of our new play entitled ‘La mer a une autre langue’ (The Sea Has Another Language). This creation is the continuation of seven years of research into the work of Henrik Ibsen. The text draws inspiration from four of his plays (Hedda Gabler, The Lady from the Sea, The Master Builder, Peer Gynt), which we have reinterpreted through contemporary female characters.
The main character in our play is called Maria, a deliberate choice inspired by the personality of Maria Casares herself: a free, committed, creative woman marked by exile, much like our own journeys.
We very much hope to be able to stage this piece in the near future, exploring all its physical, visual and poetic dimensions.
We are also very excited about the idea of participating in another artistic residency in the future, as we believe that this valuable setting is essential for initiating a new theatrical work and continuing to make our voice heard in the contemporary artistic landscape.
We would like to thank the entire team at Maison Maria Casares for their warm welcome, attentive support and the quality of the setting they provided. Our thanks also go to the ACCR and the Ministry of Culture and Communication for their valuable support through the NORA programme.
This residency was a time of renewal, research and artistic rebirth for us."