A story of history and mythology meets 1980’s Iran in Boston University playwright Isabelle Fereshteh Sanatdar Stevens’ latest play “The Fig Tree, and The Phoenix, and The Desire to be Reborn,” which is showing at the Boston Playwrights’ Theatre.

In a night of spoken word, Boston University students and notable Boston residents shared their favorite poems, which included themes of mythology, cultural heritage and sexism. Ninety members of...