Director General of Dramatic Arts Center in Closing Ceremony:
Need for Inclusion of Children & Adolescents Theater in Khorramshahr Liberation Theater Festival
Mahdi Shafiee, director general of Dramatic Arts Center, said at the closing ceremony of Khorramshahr Liberation Theater Festival, that a section for children and adolescents as well as puppet performances should be added to the event.
Mr Shafiee, who had been a leading figure in the festival since its first edition some 20 years ago, said that the festival was celebrating its 20th edition with the 35th celebration of the 1979 victory of the Islamic Revolution, which had been a source of happiness.
He asked the secretary of the festival to add a section for children and young adults’ theater and puppet shows in the next edition of the festival, which would help families and their children to get familiar with the products dealing with the sacred defense (1980-88 Iran-Iraq war) and values of the Islamic Republic.
The official added that cities of Khorramshahr and Abadan’s hosting of such children and young adults plays would help increase impacts in the field of resistance and sacred defense.
Mr Shafiee stressed that the nation wanted a permanent secretariat for the festival, which had already prepared its invitation for its 21st edition next year. “This will give theater artists working in the field of sacred defense and resistance a one-year moratorium to produce works.”
He added that one of the objectives of the festival was to expand the festival and cover more participants and art groups, however, shortage of theater venues during the festival should be taken care by local officials.
“Khorramshahr and Abadan (in southeastern province of Khuzestan bordering Iraq) have some theater spaces, which are in good shape compared to other cities. But it enjoys lots of talented artists and needs more venues for their theatrical and cultural activities to span the whole year,” the official explained.
The initial measures to construct two black box theater spaces in Khorramshahr and Abadan had been taken concurrent with the 19th edition of the festival but the projects faced bureaucratic problems, Mr Shafiee said, hoping that obstacles would be resmoved and building of the venues to be started in the near future.
The 20th Liberation of Khorramshahr Theater Festival, which opened in the southeastern city on July 1, closed on July 5.