Iran Role in Mideast Will Bolster via Having Int’l Approach towards Sacred Defense Theater

Director and cast of “Jahesheh” and Ali-Akbar Abdolalizadeh, a member of Theater House Critics Association as well as some audience attended the session, irantheater.ir reported.

Ali-Akbar Abdolalizadeh expressed satisfaction about watching “Jahesheh”, praising it as a dynamic and good piece.

“I am happy that a narration of a set has begun with such a show. I am hopeful that such sessions will bear fruit as such gatherings had been helpful in cinema in the field of movies about resistance,” he said.

“Jahesheh” shocked me in many aspects because professional theater would witness a few actors and cast as energetic as they had been in this piece, Mr Abdolalizadeh argued.

Majority of professional theater actors see the set as a job rather than a place to understand their roles and fully attend the characters, he added.

“Given Iran status in the region, I think such subjects must be the main theme of theater in the country,” the theater critic said. “We see shortages in set design and technical equipment in “Jahesheh”. This shows the piece has not received sufficient supports.”

Other countries, he said, which chase a policy of cultural invasion into other states, provide sufficient supports for their cultural products, which was in line with their cultural strategies.

“The cultural officials should pay more attention to such pieces. I hope the new management in the Islamic Revolution and Sacred Defense Association will pay due heed to the issue as they take the macro planning more seriously,” Mr Abdolalizadeh said.

Ali Borji, director of “Jahesheh”, complained that the country was chasing propaganda and the officials would make empty slogans rather than fulfilling commitments.

“We have many state bodies in the country which can support such pieces. But I do not know why they do not live up with their cultural and artistic obligations. As you [addressing Mr Abdolalizadeh] pointed to shortages of set design which is true,” he said.

Referring to financial woes as main challenge facing the group, Borji said that the Islamic Revolution and Sacred Defense Association allocated a credit of 120m rials (about $3383). “We had to pay 2m tomans (20m rials or about $640) to the auditorium and had to pay other costs of a 30-member group, poster, banner, make-up, costume and …with the rest. This is unfair,” Borji explained.

Meanwhile, Abdolalizadeh said that the piece would reflect different layers of normal lives of people living in southern Iran. “Simplicity is the common behavior of all the people in the story. But each one of them has find a new frame given their social capacity and livelihood requirements. One like Demokhi is an opportunist while the other is seeking to fight for defending his country. Every one of them has his own story. The war has influenced their lives. But the turning point is the explosion of “Jahesheh”, which puts an end to the story of the man.”

He added that the drama has a correct rhythm based on joy and a tragic end, which would haunt the audience a few hours after leaving the auditorium.

“Jahesheh”, which is directed by Ali Borji and is written by Morteza Shahkaram, will have its last performance tomorrow at Sarv Theater.