Lerta; Fifty Years of Iranian Theater and Death in Solitude in Vienna

Lerta Hairapetian (Nushin), known by the pen name Lerta, is a familiar name to theater enthusiasts; one of the most celebrated actors in Iranian theater who shone on stage for several decades until the revolution. The ideology of the Islamic Revolution sought to erase many from Iran's history: from the founders and members of the workshop theater to the theatrical generation before them, including Nushin and his wife Lerta; each for completely contradictory reasons, one for 'working in the regime of Farah Pahlavi,' the other for his interest in the masses and leftist ideology. Although the revolution significantly halted the work of these artists, it could never erase their names from the pages of Iranian theater. Now, everyone unanimously admires the modern and progressive world of the workshop theater and praises a top-tier actor like Lerta. In the absence of research and analytical articles about Lerta, Zaven Ghogasyan's book titled 'I Remember; A Review of the Life of Lerta Hairapetian (Nushin), the Gem of Iranian Theater,' published by Khajasteh Publications, is a comprehensive work that explores Lerta's world and works through her own words and those of her colleagues, providing a worthy image of this actor; a book for which Zaven Ghogasyan fought for years with the Ministry of Culture to obtain printing permission, exhausting his spirit and soul. Perhaps now those officials, if they look at the book, might also conclude that there is no reason to prevent the publication of this research book! Zaven begins in the introduction by recalling hearing Lerta's name from his mother in childhood and that he eventually saw her in the workshop theater in 1972 and witnessed her last performance titled 'The Solitude of the Sleepers' in 1977. Her next work with Arbi Avanesian, which was supposed to be performed in the autumn of 1978, never made it to the stage due to the events of the revolution and strikes. After the revolution, Lerta went to Vienna; a place Zaven visited every year to see his aunt Clara; and this became an introduction for meeting and conversing with Lerta. It was early in this solar century that Lerta began her career when women were not allowed to perform on stage and men were made up like women to play their roles. Lerta was one of the first Iranian women to appear on the theater stage and paved the way for others. In a section of the book titled 'Perspectives on the Life of Lerta Hairapetian,' Zaven shares a summary of Lerta's life with the reader; from her entry into theater and marriage to Nushin in 1933 to notes about her characteristics such as her strong memory that allowed her to memorize the entire text of any role in two or three days. This section ends with sentences like this: 'After fifty years of continuous work on stage and ultimately without being appreciated, Lerta left her country... traveled to Austria and never returned to Iran... ultimately, death ended her twenty-year migration (April 9, 1998).' A couple of short sections that include conversations with Lerta are not comprehensive (perhaps due to Lerta's old age and lack of patience and memory to discuss details), yet they contain interesting and readable references, including one about Sadegh Hedayat: 'At the time Nushin was arrested [February 1949], my son Kaveh was five years old. Hedayat used to visit our house. I had a friend who told me, 'Mrs. Lerta! Ramez Arā's wife is Hedayat's sister, and Hedayat can do something for Nushin.' When Hedayat came, I told him the story... Sadegh said, 'Yes, my sister is married to that scoundrel, and I won't go to their house, but I will go for you.' He had gone to Ramez Arā's house and had insulted them.' The following chapters contain engaging conversations with those who worked with Lerta. The interviewees are briefly introduced at the beginning, and this biography helps the reader connect more with the atmosphere of the conversations and the references within them. Among them, the interviews with Nasrat Karimi and Arbi Avanesian and Irene are more detailed and interesting. Critiques of 'Angels of Love' (1931) and 'Irān Dokht' by Saeed Nafisi (1932) as well as a critique of 'The Solitude of the Sleepers' written by Alireza Rezaei (Resurrection- 1978) and finally a list of Lerta's plays, films, and series (with complete details such as date and place of performance and a few lines of explanation about the text) complete this book; a book that is certainly one of the best works of the late Zaven Ghogasyan. The Four-Sided Theater in the City Theater was inaugurated with Lerta's last performance; 'The Solitude of the Sleepers' directed by Arbi Avanesian. The absence of a conversation with Sousan Taslimi—her co-star in this performance—in this book is notable, but Sousan, in a conversation with the author about Lerta and acting in 'The Solitude of the Sleepers,' says: '[In the play] I had a twelve-year-old daughter and a mother whose role was played by Mrs. Lerta. Since Mrs. Lerta had worked in theater for fifty years, we dedicated this performance to her... Mrs. Lerta was a very capable actress. She had been away from Iran for a long time and lived in Moscow and then returned to Iran and wanted to work in theater again. I found it interesting that Mrs. Lerta, after fifty years of acting, accepted that her role was not the lead role of the play. The play was in three acts, which we performed continuously. In the first part, Lerta was sick and spoke very little; in the second part, she was unconscious, and in the third part, she was dead and was just a corpse... Arbi cautiously offered her the role. Mrs. Lerta read the text, liked the role very much, and performed very well.' [Sousan Taslimi in a lengthy interview with Mohammad Abdi - H and S Media - London - 2012] Lerta also, in a conversation with Zaven, praises Sousan Taslimi as an 'avant-garde actress,' and about this performance, she says: 'I was dead with my eyes open... I wasn't blinking.... Many times in these cold days in Vienna, when I wake up, 'The Solitude of the Sleepers' begins, and I die.'