Metamorphosis and transformation of form and meaning in Ta'zia, a step towards reaching the national theater With a case study of five versions (Hadiqeh, the daughter of the King of Khotan, Abbas Hindu, the wedding of Fatima Zahra, Fath Ali Shah and

Ta’zieh and shabih-khani (passion play) are the most important forms of Iranian-Islamic dramatic art, emerging from Iranian culture and beliefs. They have consistently been considered a resource for achieving Iranian and national theater. National theater, in its simplest definition, is a type of Iranian performance that, in form, norms, rules, content, story, and perspective, must reflect the identity of the people of this land. Modernization and new social conditions, along with socio-political developments, despite the glory of this national art during the Qajar period, led to its decline and prevented it from continuing its evolutionary path.The necessity of addressing such topics stems from the fact that, despite the passage of years, Iranian theater has not yet been able to create a form of Iranian theater under the title of “national theater” and display a worthy and appropriate identity in this field. Scattered efforts and different attempts have not yet achieved the necessary coherence to achieve independent results in adopting this approach. Among these, the art of shabih-khani is effective as one of the most profound forms of Iranian performance. “Gusheh” (episodes) are small, supplementary, and yet independent assemblies that originated from Ta’zieh and pursued a new path and approach towards making Ta’zieh more popular and addressing social and contemporary issues. According to the narrative and theory of “Count de Gobineau,” they could lead to the creation of national (Iranian) theater. In this research, which is analyzed using an analytical-comparative method, while examining the social, political, and historical conditions of Iran during the Qajar period, five examples (The Love Affair of Hadiqa, Abbas the Hindu, The Wedding Procession of Fatima al-Zahra, and the “Gusheh” of Fath-Ali Shah and Naser al-Din Shah) are investigated and evaluated as instances and examples of popular performance and the evolutionary context of Iranian theater. The findings show that ta’zieh and the elements of shabih-khani, with their capacity to blend tradition and innovation, could have provided a foundation for a national Iranian theatre. However, due to cultural–historical obstacles and institutional neglect, the process of development and dynamism in this theatrical form remained incomplete.