Minister of Culture: Mosques can be the main training center for stage artists

The first Shabestan National Theater Festival, which started on March 3, 2024 in several mosques in Tehran, ended this evening (Friday, March 18) with the closing ceremony in the main theater hall of the City Theater Complex.

 

The closing ceremony of the first Shabestan National Theater Festival was held with the presence of Mohammad Mehdi Esmaeili (Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance),  Kamal Khodadadeh (Head of the Coordination Staff of the Cultural and Artistic Centers of the Mosques of the country) and stage artists.

The Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance stood behind the podium and said: "We emphasize that mosques should be the main centers for the training of personnel in various fields.  One of its manifestations is holding such a festival. "

 

He added: "An important work was done and it is a start. We expect this festival to expand in terms of quantity and quality."

Esmaeili continued: "In the 1960s and 1970s, many measures were taken to encourage young people to attend mosques, one of which was the development of theater." Hojjat al-Islam Moravej was one of the clerics who pioneered in this field and created a link between the mosque and dramatic arts. "

 

The Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance emphasized: "Ethics and cultivation should not be neglected in the path of artistic works. It should be planned so that artistic activities over time lead to the growth of all abilities."

Hojjat al-Islam Kamal Khodadadeh, the head of the coordinating staff of cultural and artistic centers of the country's mosques, announced a one-year effort to hold the Shabestan National Theater Festival.

Hossein Alambakhsh, the artistic director of the Shabestan Theater Festival, said: "536 plays from all over the country were sent to the festival secretariat. 29 plays in 4 general sections, Mehr, children and teenagers, and paper theater made it to the final stage. These drama groups had 130 performances in 14 mosques in Tehran during 4 days, which was unprecedented and unique. "

In the end, Alam Bakhsh expressed his hope that the Shabestan Theater Festival will remain in the country's artistic events calendar.

  Hossein Ali Moravej Asadabadi was honored for his support of artists to perform theater in the mosque.

Moravej, who has been the imam of the Imam Hossein (AS) mosque on Fallah street in Tehran for many years, said: "I have decided since 1971 to turn the mosque into an effective cultural and artistic center where youths are members."

He added:’ "From 1971 to 1978, we performed 9 plays with a duration of 1 hour and 30 minutes in mosques and in Tehran City.After the Iranian revolution, we have performed about 9 or 10 shows in different places."