‘Avaaz’ traces journey from Iran to California
‘Avaaz’Through April 7Olney Theatre Center2001 Olney-Sandy Spring RoadOlney, MD 20832$55-$90Olneytheatre.org How better to understand your own mother’s psyche than by playing her on stage?
In his solo show “Avaaz,” queer actor/writer Michael Shayan pretty much does just that. As “Roya” (not his mother’s actual name), he explores how a woman’s fun, larger-than-life presence might belie a deeper sadness.
It’s a party but not without truth and moving drama. And now, after a successful world premiere run in California’s South Coast Repertory last spring, his play is at Olney Theatre Center (through April 7) before kicking off on a national tour. “Avaaz,” a Farsi word for “a song as it is being sung,” follows Roya’s journey from Tehran to what Shayan cheekily tags “Tehran-geles, CA, formerly known as Westwood.” It’s here where the courageous single mother carves out a life for herself and her closeted queer son.
Recently, via phone, Shayan offered a glimpse into his show, describing how we first meet Roya in her heavily chandeliered L.A.
