ABOUT US
We are a community-funded theater troupe of refugees in Kuala Lumpur which aims to raise awareness on social, economic and mental health issues faced by refugees. We aim to rebuild confidence of our members through theater acting and aid in relieving depression.
Parastoo Theater is the only professional refugee theater company in Malaysia. Founded in 2017, by the end of 2022 Parastoo had produced and developed 9 shows for 12,000 people, staging 42 performances.
Parastoo is privileged to be the first of its kind in Malaysia using a unique methodology based on the ‘Theater of the Oppressed’ model. Parastoo believes that theatre is a tool for transformation, to bridge differences, build understanding, raise awareness and create spaces where difficult social issues can be addressed through creative expression and dialogue.
OUR MISSION
We want to bring purpose with dignity to the refugee community in Malaysia. Our artistic expression aims to promote peace, child protection and women’s empowerment.
Through our performances, we intend to raise awareness among the local community, while empowering the refugee community. Art uniquely seeks and finds subconscious emotional pathways to all of our senses, before being processed in our brains.Therefore Parastoo utilises art as a powerful transformational tool that breaks barriers, increases intercultural understanding and calls forth for a refugee rights policy reform.
OUR FOUNDER
Saleh Sepas | Director & Playwright
Saleh has been writing and directing radio programs in Kabul, Afghanistan for 10 years. Passionate about socio-political issues, he now produces screenplays for budding actors who wish to be trained in ‘Theatre of the Oppressed’, gaining inspiration from his experiences back home and now as a refugee in Kuala Lumpur.
OUR DIRECTOR
Farzana Yakta | Director, Writer & Actress
Following the resettlement of Parastoo Theater's founder, Saleh Sepas, Farzana has stepped up to take on the role of Theater Director, having been a part of the company since its inception.
It started in 2018 when she got the chance to play the lead in ‘Screaming in Silence’, a show Saleh wrote and one of the biggest shows Parastoo had put together. “Theatre was always a safe place for me,” she explains, relating it to walking in through the front door of your home after being out all day and breathing a sigh of relief.
