"The City of Tales" is a story that encapsulates both the bitter and sweet truths of Iranian society; it tells the tale of a city whose inhabitants are very familiar to us: religious fanatics and devout individuals (the fox), superstitious followers (the bear), ignorant people who always choose the simplest and most obvious solutions (the donkey), intellectuals with little study (the parrot), and women who are only valued for their sexual characteristics (Aunt Cockroach). It is clear that a text with such features, in a society where discussing flaws and self-criticism is not an easy task, was far ahead of its time, and perhaps that is why this play has always held a special place in the minds and hearts of Iranian audiences.

"The City of Tales," written by the late Bijan Mofid and directed by him, is the first Iranian play to use recorded sound for theatrical performance. Our initial idea was also an adaptation of the original play, employing the same initial method. However, the first challenge we faced was the author's rights and permission for adaptation, which, with the cooperation of the late Bijan Mofid's children, was made possible for us. Another significant challenge was the existing audio files of the original performances, which had deteriorated in quality over time. For this reason, and also due to some ideas we had for the soundtracks of the play, we decided to re-record all the voices and music while preserving the collective memory of the characters' voices. This process, which began in January of this year, included a call for applications, the selection of ten voice actors out of ninety applicants, rehearsals, script readings, and ultimately studio recordings, followed by the re-recording of the music, mixing, and editing, which continued until July 2024.

In the next stage, we moved on to selecting the performers. After a call for applications, nine performers were chosen out of fifty applicants, none of whom were familiar with the Persian language. Conveying the concepts and emotions of this work to performers who spoke another language was an added challenge. Before the rehearsals began, we spent countless hours with the choreographer to ensure that the writer's intent was fully communicated and that the concepts rooted in Persian culture were correctly translated for the choreographer.

Simultaneously with the rehearsals, the process of designing costumes, makeup, and facial accessories for the characters began, for which we sought a method that would be in line with the style of the performance. All these stages were carried out with meticulous care and tireless effort until finally, "The City of Tales" was ready for performance.

Due to the special status of "The City of Tales," this project became more than just a play for us—it turned into the largest project that the Blackout Art Society has ever undertaken. The realization of this valuable work would not have been possible without the collaboration of the talented and humble artists of Vancouver, who, for nine months, worked with us wholeheartedly, each contributing in their way to the enhancement of this project. And finally, your presence, dear audience, is the last link in the performance process and the most significant source of encouragement for all of us. We hope that the experience and memory of this performance will strengthen this connection further.