Baba Joon (Father Dear)

"When I wake, we’ve left Tehran. There are beautiful mountains. Green fields. Fruit trees. Sheep. Cattle.
The colour of the buildings is like sand. Reminds me of the dunes in the Gower. Mounds and mounds of them lined up together.
I see it now Dad. I see it all. What’s familiar: Wales.
I am happy to be here. To finally share all of this with you. I want to breathe in every second. Taste it all."

Two non-linear, narrative strands interweave - the play opens in the present day where we meet Samira who’s landed in Tehran. The story then takes us back in time to her father (Baba) arriving in Wales from pre-revolutionary Iran in the 1970s, trying to adapt to the UK, his joy at experiencing freedom in a new country and his indulgence in the temptations of the West.

Alongside the Baba story we see Samira's navigation through the joys and complexities of growing up in a mixed heritage family in South Wales in the 1980s and 90s. Racism, isolation from peers, pressure, and control from a Muslim father, searching for an identity and where to 'belong' all feature in these twin biographies. Their relationship begins to suffer when Baba eventually returns to Iran in 2001 and he political and social barriers which frustrate any potential visit for her.

This is a semi-autobiographical, semi-fictional drama based on the writer's real life experiences growing up in south Wales in the 1980s and 90s. It was originally performed at the Swansea Grand theatre with subsequent outings in Los Angeles, USA as a one-woman show starring the play's author, Lisa Zahra.

Samira: LISA ZAHRA
Baba and The Interrogator: MOHSEN GHAFFARI
The guard and Mohammad: SHAHEEN JAFARGHOLI
Mam and The Woman on the Bench: MELANIE WALTERS

Other parts played by members of the cast.

Music by Roshi Nasehi

Written by Lisa Zahra
Recorded and Mixed by Nigel Lewis
Director: Steve Doherty
A Giddy Goat production for BBC Radio 4