Reports of “Nations’ Theater” Gathering of 7th Marivan Street Theater Festival

Representatives of France, Germany, Iran, Iraq’s Kurdistan and Poland attended the meeting.
Rahim Abdolrahimzadeh, who was presenter of the meeting, said that dialogue happens in theater at three levels; among actors, performance and audience and among cultures and the nations. “The latter occupies the highest status among theater dialogues.”
Floriane Gaber from France briefed the participants on history of street theater in her country. “The beginning point of street theater was France’s 1967 protests and movements when this form of theater was a form of protest and political theater.”
In other parts of the world including the US, the protest and political theater was born during the same years, she added.
The researcher and director said that street theater started with acrobatic gestures and clowns performances in circus in the beginning. But France’s street theater is diverse now, spanning a wide range including working with clowns and acrobatic moves, major plays with numerous actors, performances with giant puppets and performing in underground stations, on the walls and other possibilities.
The university professor said that France had over 1,000 street theater institutes, which were in touch with 250 street theater festivals.     
Kesrat Abdul Rahman from Iraq’s Kurdistan said that theater was a dynamic and live current in Iraq’s Kurdistan. In addition to university education, tens of specialized theater festivals were held in different Kurdistan cities and publishers publish specialized books on theater, he said.
Street theater was one of dynamic theater activities in Iraq’s Kurdistan, he said, adding that although it was in its early years of establishment, an international street theater festival was organized in Darbandikhan city where many young groups present works.
Michael Olefic from Germany talked about his experiences of German street theater. “I was an instrument player that turned to street theater because the German audiences have enthusiasm for such form of theater. Street theater groups can earn a living this way and become rich without state support.”
He added that individuals can go university to study street theater in Germany. There is a movement in Berlin called “We have street theater” that instrument players and performers can perform works daily under its umbrella.
The German instrument player and actor said that he chose this form of theater because he liked seeing people reaction, enthusiasm and energy.
Yaroslav Sterjovski from Poland said Polish street theater was formed later than those of countries like Germany and France because of crackdown by then communist rulers.
But, he added, Jerzy Grotowski, breathe a fresh air into Polish theater in 1970s making new experiences to take plays out of auditoriums and into the nature, forests and unconventional places.
Grotowski gave much importance to internal rather external issues and politicians were satisfied. But this raised criticism by many artists who distanced him.
“University movements were among the most important groups who had promoted the protest street theater. Then eight groups joined to show how nonsense the life could be in the communist countries. These groups had covert and unofficial performances which faced crackdown,” said the director and university professor.
Sterjovski explained that the dynamic of street theater in Poland was the product of such movements while much of street theater artists turned to political theater with the collapse of communism.  
Majid Amraei said that Iran’s street theater was rooted in traditional ritual performances.
He added that street theater was older than stage theater in Iran.
The director of Street Theater Office of Dramatic Arts Center said that most of Iran’s theater festival had devoted a section to street theater now and there were some street theater festivals in the country too.
A question and answer meeting was held at the end of session.
The Seventh Marivan International Theater Festival was held on September 28 to October 2. Ghobad Maymanatabadi was secretary of the festival.