Review: (Fringe) Borderlamd (Montreal)

Failure to Engage

by Élaine Charlebois

Borderland tells the story of a young Navid, a gay Iranian man who has fled his home country in search of a safe place where he can be himself without fear. Along his journey, he meets Zia, the man in charge of getting him safely to his hiding place in Borderland, and Leila, the woman who takes him into her home. Each of these characters is played by Etemadi.

Sunday Feature: Izad Etemadi on Borderland (Fringe: Montreal, Regina, Hamilton, Calgary, Edmonton)

Drawing From That Which One Tried to Ignore

by Izad Etemadi
@izadetemadi

"Navid is a gay Iranian man running from himself and his home in search of acceptance. He arrives at Borderland, a secret hiding place. There he meets Leila and Zia. Who are they? Can they help Navid on the dangerous path towards happiness?"

Borderland is my first time touring a self-written/performed/produced solo show across Canada. I started writing Borderland last summer after a conversation with my parents about how different my life would have been if they had never left Iran. My parents, along with my older brother and sister, left Iran in 1988 moving to Germany, where I was born. In 1995, my family moved to Victoria, BC where I have lived since. I have heard this lecture from my parents about how fortunate I am for most of my life, but for some reason it really hit me that night. I have been lucky to grow up in a supportive environment that provided freedom to become the human being that I am today - which may not have happened if I grew up in Iran.

After months of research I came up with Borderland. A Toronto based company - The Iranian Railroad for Queer Refugees - inspired the concept. This group helps LGBT in Iran escape and find a safe place in the world that they can call home.