ExtractBabak Rahimi — Kiarostami We grew weary of reality Truth, far from sight. Taʿzieh has often been described as the only ‘indigenous theatre’ in Islamicate societies. However, as a commemorative ritual of social significance, taʿzieh considerably differs from theatre. Introduced from Europe to North Africa and West Asia in the nineteenth century, theatre is the collaborative form of performing art based on the culture industry that produces performances at specific sites to be viewed on a range of stages by a target audience. Although contingent to context and operational function, theatre is perfored, to recall a key term used by Richard Schenchner, for ‘entertainment’, a choreographed event to amuse audiences as consumer participants in an industry of cultural production. Theatre is the stage of spectacle. Somewhat similar to older forms of public ritual such as puppet theatre, storytelling events such as naqqali (in Iran) , al-halaqa (in Morocco) , parades and...