Gov’t & Parliament Get Its Importance Approval of Iran Membership in UNIMA Show

In an interview with Irantheatre.ir, Iran’s first theater website, Adralan explained the procedure of approval, “This approval was a concern for UNIEMA members since the tenure of former officials. However, it did not come into force for some reasons.”
New members of the board of directors chased the submission of the membership plan from the government to the parliament and the parliament to the Guardian Council (the constitutional watchdog for parliament ratifications), said Ardalan and added when the Guardian Council showed the green light, the plan was submitted to the parliament and eventually to the government.
The parliament’s Cultural Commission invited UNIMA members for more explanation and the plan was approved finally, Ardalan said.
“The approval of this plan shows the government, the parliament and legal bodies have got the importance and role of art in Iran and the world, this law would have achievements and such awareness of the government and the parliament would increase their responsibility toward puppetry in Iran,” explained Ardalan.
In the first place, this responsibility is moral support for main currents of the country’s puppetry and their financial backing, he added.
Ardalan said the society could involve into different fields of puppetry both in its ancient and traditional as well as modern forms.
He explained that while Iran boasts of a treasury of stories, performances and over 100 puppets, the country’s market is cluttered with western dolls, puppets and toys and no shop is selling either ritual or modern Iranian puppets.
The UNIMA-Iran could meet many cultural needs of the society should it receive supports given the importance of puppets and puppetry in the lives of children and grown-ups.
UNIMA-Iran director said media like television, theater auditoriums and academies of theater and puppetry as well as the Education Ministry could meet cultural needs of the society.
Referring to the role of tourism in meeting cultural needs, Ardalan said Iran puppetry has always been welcomed warmly by people of other countries whenever it is performed. That is because of either its sweet dialogue, or mythological depth or a maze of excellent stories this country has he said, suggesting each city has a school or base for traditional and modern puppetry to offer training and researches.    
He insisted that such foundations could help introduce Iran puppetry to the world, especially by shows performed inside the country.
On activities and membership of UNIMA-Iran, Ardalan said the executive committee and its international board of directors are chosen every four years. Meanwhile, a by-election is held every two years for the committees.
UNIMA holds two meetings of general assembly every four years in which board of directors participates, evaluating domestic topics and [choose] members of committees, Ardalan said and added the upcoming UNIMA meeting is on December 23 which is held either in Iran Artists forum or the City Theater Complex.
On performances of UNIMA-Iran since he took office two years ago, Ardalan listed them as launch of UNIMA website, publishing two editions of its magazine, opening six centers in other cities, organizing over 10 workshops, settling overdue membership fees, taking new members, participating in majority of domestic theater festivals and inclusion of puppetry show sections into the festivals, awarding UNIMA-Iran prize to three puppetry figures of Iran and the world and founding the first puppetry rural school in Dah-Cheshmeh, Farsan in Charmahal-Bakhtiari province.  
Ardalan added that fans and lovers of puppetry could become a member with depositing 1,500,000 rials, filling up the membership paper and delivering two photos.
Hamid-Reza Ardalan, Farnaz Behzadi, Poupak Azimpour, Afsaneh Zamani, Salma Mohseni, Marzieh Sarmashghi, Payman Shariatie, Majid Bourbour, Arash Mostafaei make up members of board of directors, inspectors and director of committees of UNIMA-Iran.