to the Playwave website or you SHALL BE REMOVED!SPOTLIGHT: Danial Yazdani
We're celebrating the creativity and passion of our Playwave Creatives! Read about their unique journeys and standout moments as Playwavers.
Say hello to Danny, who's next in the spotlight!
When did you become a Playwaver and what drew you to become a Playwave Creative?
As cliché as it sounds, I’ve been a Playwaver for as long as I remember. That would’ve been towards the last two or so years of high school. This was when I was really getting into attending live performance and was also doing a portfolio of theatre criticism as part of my major work. More recently when I finished university, I was interested in continuing my writing practice and expanding the range of theatre I was seeing. Becoming a Playwave Creative has helped me reach these goals.
Your favourite memory as a Playwaver?
Earlier this year, when the Sydney Film Festival program was launched, I went on a rabbit hole deep dive of the program and selected my top picks for a Playwave article. There were too many options and I wanted to praise them all, so I sneakily added an ‘honourable mentions’ section to the article. Hopefully the Playwave team has forgiven me by now…
What is keeping your busy in 2024?
Now that I’ve finished my Bachelor of Arts in English and Sociology, I’m on the job hunt. But as that progresses (or not), I’ve been getting back in touch with my hobbies and interests, theatre and performance being the greatest consumer of my time. Outside of the theatre, I’ve been getting through my ‘To Be Read’ list which is never ending and have started composting in preparation for my summer garden. Writing, both for/about theatre as well as about other topics and through different mediums, has also been at the forefront of how I spend my days. All in all, until being an adult with a job kicks in, I’m living the life.
Who or what inspires your creative practice?
I would say the sudden rise in authentic Australian storytelling that has emerged in the past few years - almost ‘movement-like’, if you will - has really inspired me to continue my own practice. Communities of colour in particular have had a steady beating heart in the arts landscape in recent years. I am thankful to and grateful for creatives such as James Elazzi, Maria Thattil, S. Shakthidharan, Sheila Ngoc Pham, Shankari Chandran, Hossein Valamanesh, Anchuli Felicia King, Hoda Afshar, Jane Harrison, Julie Koh, and countless others who have made this happen. The sense of hope and autonomy that I feel for the future when thinking of these trailblazers fuels my engagement with the arts.
How has being a Playwaver impacted your experience of the arts in Sydney?
As I mentioned before, I wanted to remain active, both as a writer but also as a supporter of the arts, as I move into my next chapter of life. Being a Playwaver has exposed me to new practices and concepts, helped me network with other like-minded creatives, and has given me purpose as a somewhat semi-emerging or almost emerged writer. I’m keen to continue my relationship with Playwave well into the future.
Your top 3 picks for the best places to experience the arts and live performance in Sydney.
1. Belvoir. Belvoir. Belvoir. Whether it’s the independent (Belvoir supported shows of the 25A program in the Downstairs Theatre) or the main season performing on the stage of the Upstairs Theatre, Belvoir never fails to impress me. And thankfully, Playwave partners with Belvoir so take advantage of the bargains they offer.
2. The Old Fitz Theatre in Woolloomooloo. I went to this venue for the first time this year to review a production of The Cherry Orchard. And gosh was I amazed. In the basement of a 150-year-old pub (the Old Fitz) was an odd 50 seat theatre I had never heard of. I will definitely be returning if the remainder if their season is like The Cherry Orchard.
3. Riverside Theatres, home to the stellar National Theatre of Parramatta and conveniently located near the new metro line, offers such an extensive program every year. Every art form or style or medium is welcome here, from opera to circus. I’ve been a patron for years now, and I would highly recommend city theatre goers to venture out west to see what the fuss is about. Trust me, it’s worth it.
What would people be surprised to know about you?
I’m a bit of an over sharer… so, I feel that readers already know everything interesting they need to know about me. But maybe it would be helpful to say that I was never interested in theatre or live performance when I was younger. Apart from the odd Wiggles concert and maybe one live Play School show, I was quite fidgety and impatient. I remember my mum encouraging me to go and watch the Lion King on stage when it was playing in Sydney, but I outright said it - live performance of any kind - was boring and a waste of many. So, I guess what I’m trying to say is that the arts in general came into my life at a much later stage than many expect, given how much of a theatregoer and lover I am now. Point in case: I’m no Rachel Berry.
What has been the best arts event you’ve been to this year?
Counting and Cracking, produced by Belvoir and held at Carriageworks, broke my heart a few months ago in all the right ways. I walked out of the theatre with tears gushing from my eyes, too breathless to think about how cruel the entire world’s treatment of refugees and asylum seekers is, especially when stories like Counting and Cracking work so hard to humanise them. I’ll forever be grateful for the experience and am a new and proud fan of the playwright, S. Shakthidharan. At a separate and totally unrelated event, I got the chance to meet him briefly and express how monumental his work was and continues to be. Maybe that’s my best arts experience overall…
What arts events are you most looking forward to this year?
1. After watching Meryl Streep in the film adaptation of August: Osage County, I fell in love with not only her performance but with stories that centre around families and bombard them with all sorts of dysfunction. In the final months of this year, Belvoir is staging the original play text, so I’m quite excited to see that story come to life again, albeit in a different form.
2. Sydney Fringe Festival was a real treat this year! I love how there is something for everyone. As a BIPOC writer and someone who is passionate about the diversity of storytelling, I’m keen on seeing as many BIPOC-related shows this year as possible.
3. The Festival of Dangerous Ideas, which has now sadly passed, was truly the highlight of my arts calendar so far, bringing together popular personalities, experts and other Australians to series of public talks about pressing issues our world is facing and offering insightful (and some may say ‘radical’) solutions to many of our problems.
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Want to get involved? Contact us or drop us a line at hello@playwave.com.au. We want to hear your Playwave story.
Photos from above:
1. As part of his time with SUDS (Sydney University Dramatic Society), Danny assistant directed Andrew Bovell's Things I Know to be True.
2. In Danny's last performance with SUDS, he played Madame Arcati, an eccentric, Iranian medium in Noel Coward's Blithe Spirit.
3. In early 2023, Danny directed an adaption of The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams with a cast and crew of Culturally and Racially Marginalised (CARM) creatives.
4. Danny in his first ever high school musical, Beauty and the Beast, in the role of Cogsworth.
5. Danny as Birdboot from the Real Inspector Hound.
