hero arts PASHA YAMOTAHARI

The Power of Imagination

By the time Pasha Yamotahari reached journalism school at ASU in 2006, he had earned credentials in film studies and had a well-developed talent for storytelling, a gift nurtured during a childhood lived so much in his imagination.

Becoming a reporter was never a plan for Yamotahari, Associate Producing Director at Phoenix Theatre Company since 2009. Digging for facts provides structure for Yamotahari’s creative interests. Understanding the who, what, when, where, why and how of theater pieces helps preserve legacy and do justice, he says.

“Somebody came up with the idea at some point, put a lot of effort in it,” Yamotahari says. “If we negate knowing where that came from, that’s disrespectful to the authenticity of the original author, the original concept.”

Knowing where others are coming from is important to Yamotahari, who has been an immigrant in three countries, picking up five languages along the way.

Yamotahari’s first foray into authentic storytelling came during childhood when he created stories with Legos and Smurf characters based on photographs of things he’d seen in real life. His annual gig as Director of Ollivander’s Wand Shop Experience in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter attraction at Universal Studios Japan shows how far he and technology have come since his Lego days.

Long hospital stays were also part of his childhood, an experience he takes to work as Artistic Director of Partners That Heal. Actors skilled in improvisation help patients, families and hospital workers through tough times.

“I know what it feels like to be in the bed,” Yamotahari says. “I know what it’s like to sit in the chair next to the bed.

… Baseline is there’s a human being in there that’s scared, and so let’s bring a little theater. And theater is imagination within contextual things.”

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