Theater director Seyyed Arash Sharifzadeh says the play he has prepared for the 16th Tehran Mobarak International Puppet Festival revolves around children and their fixation for computers.
'Benyamin and Ben 10' is Sharifzadeh's latest work written by playwright, theater theoretician and critic Bahram Jalalipour. It is about children whose world is limited to computers, "a problematic issue that is causing great harm to the lives of children and their families," he told Honaronline.
Children's infatuation with video games detaches them from their families as they start to live in a world of make-believe and fantasy. They become ignorant of facts and their real lives. This reality goaded Sharifzadeh and Jalalipour into creating a play about the issue. The story is about a boy who is fascinated by Ben 10, a boy in a namesake American animated TV series who acquires a watch-like alien device that allows the wearer to transform into 10 different alien creatures.
"The boy accidentally enters into his computer case … We're not going to show the actual details inside the case; the audience has nothing to do with computer technicalities. We use various puppets to portray a fantasized setting," Sharifzadeh said.
He appreciated the efforts made by the secretary of Mobarak Puppet Festival, Marzieh Boroumand in organizing the event. "She is easily available and in constant touch with each one of the performing groups."
The festival is scheduled for August 22-28.
