The Aesthetic of Performance in Ta ziyeh and Female Audience

Ta’ziyeh as a ritual performance is the most significant representation of the Iranian traditional- religious culture. Although Ta’ziyeh has been mostly researched either from the ritual or theatre aesthetic perspective، the ritual and theatrical elements in Ta’ziyeh، as other religious plays، are interwoven. Considering this interweaving، the aim in the following article is to show how، from the aesthetical point of view، there are a dynamic relationship between actor and audience in such a way that the audience is a co-player and the actor is a co-audience in Ta’ziyeh. In this way، it can be redefined anew the role of audience، specifically female audience. By participating in each performance،which has its own time and place، the audience and performers in Ta’ziyeh are able to experience a “liminal” and “in between” time and space. Regarding this aspect، the other aim is to demonstrate how this feature has a double -dialectic function on the audience، particularly female audience. On the one hand they repeat and stabilize their social and cultural identities; on the other they segregate themselves from the daily life and its belonging conventions and norms.