Comparative Comparison of Ali Rafiei and Robert Wilson Visual Theater

Visual theater is aesthetically based on other arts. In visual theater, a strong tendency towards visual arts brings theater closer to spacebased art, which is in contrast to linear narrative-based theater. Wilson believes that visual theater, like modern painting, is timeless, abstract, often static and two-dimensional. Dr. Ali Rafiei, one of the prominent Iranian theatre directors, influenced by the ideas of Craig, Adolf Apia and Robert Wilson, in his works such as (shekar robah, khaterat yek jame dar, Yerma, Bernarda Alba House(khane bernarda alba), Blood Wedding(Aroosi khoon), etc.) creates images in order to create a “dramatic atmosphere”. In this article, first, the ideas and components of visual theater from the perspective of Robert Wilson are described, and then, according to the works performed by Ali Rafiei, the emergence of visual theater in Iranian theater is examined. This article tries to answer the following questions: How can the ideas of Robert Wilson be found in Ali Rafiei’s works? To find the answer, the author tries to use the qualitative and introductory method of visual theater elements from Wilson’s point of view separately, and analyzes Ali Rafiei’s plays in different performance elements and compares those elements with Wilson visual theater characteristics, as well as collecting library and visual information, to prove that what the components of visual theater are from Robert Wilson’s point of view and how it can be found in the works of Ali Rafiei and the components of Wilson visual theater in Iranian theater and of course of Ali Rafiei’s works as an Iranian director by studying two of his works (Memories and Nightmares of a Dressed Man from the Life and Death of Mirza Taghi Farahani).