Scholarship

Resistance, Pedagogy, and Material Performance

My research sits at the intersection of directing, feminist resistance, SWANA/Iranian Studies, and material performance. As a practitioner-scholar, I do not see the rehearsal room and the library as separate spheres; my scholarship informs my directing, and my directing tests my theories.

My work primarily investigates how the female body—specifically the "Othered" or SWANA body—performs agency within restrictive political systems.

Dissertation: Anger as Performance

My doctoral dissertation, Anger as Performance: Iranian Women’s Revolt as an Uncontainable Echo, examines the role of rage in the "Woman, Life, Freedom" movement. I analyze how Iranian women utilize embodied performance—both on stage and in street protests—to challenge theocratic erasure.

This research challenges the Western narrative of the "oppressed Muslim woman" and the domestic state’s view of feminism as a "westoxicated theory," proposing instead a framework of "normalization of protest act as victory." This work is currently being adapted into book chapters for edited collections on Socially Engaged Art and Dramaturgy.

Pedagogy as Research

A central strand of my scholarship is the investigation of actor training itself. I question the universality of Western methods and argue for a decolonized approach that validates non-Western epistemologies. My 2025 article for Theatre, Dance and Performance Training, "Actor Training in the Absence of Western Methods," documents my journey of adapting pedagogy for neurodiverse students by integrating Iranian Ta’ziyeh rituals.

Puppetry & The Cyborg

My secondary area of research explores the philosophy of puppetry. Drawing on my master’s thesis, I investigate the intersection of the puppet and the "cyborg"—how technological figures extend the boundaries of the puppet into our everyday lives, altering our perception of time and space. This inquiry informs my forthcoming manuscript, "Unpacking Arousak," which views the puppet as a complex technological vessel for cultural identity.

Selected Publications

Journal Articles

• "Pussy Power, Puppets, and Projections: In Performance of an Iranian Anger." Theatre Topics, Vol. 35, No. 2 (2025).

• "Actor Training in the Absence of Western Methods: A Personal Journey from Ta'ziyeh to American Theatre Education." Theatre, Dance and Performance Training, Vol. 16, No. 1 (2025).

• "Manifestation of Cyborg in Cinema." (co-authored with Mehdi Fadaei) Scientific Journal of Dramatic Arts and Music, Vol. 9, No. 18 (2019).

Book Chapters (Forthcoming)

• "Beyond the Heroic Image: Normalization as Victory in Iran's Feminist Repertoire." In Everyday Revolution: Socially Engaged Art in Contemporary Iran, edited by Grant Kester and Saba Zavarei.

• "Ensemble Dramaturgy as Survival Practice: Devising The Wall." In Dramaturgy and Devising, edited by Karen Jean Martinson et al.