Members of the Theater House Protest Summoning of Directors and 'Illegal Interventions'

Members of the Theater House gathered at the institution's building and signed a statement addressed to the heads of the three branches of government, protesting against the 'illegal interventions' of the judiciary and the detention and summoning of theater directors. According to ILNA news agency, the gathering of theater practitioners, attended by more than 300 people, took place on Saturday afternoon, January 22, at the Theater House building. During this gathering, members of the Theater House read a statement. The statement declared that the theater community has faced 'the strictest measures' from judicial institutions, state media, and some newspapers and news agencies, which should be deemed a deviation. The authors of this statement condemned 'illegal and unprofessional interventions' and the 'detention and summoning of theater directors for questioning,' emphasizing that 'we will not tolerate disrespect to this large family and the trampling of its position as a protestor and critic.' The statement called on the Artistic Deputy, the Center for Performing Arts, and the Council for Supervision and Evaluation of the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance to 'clarify and explain their legal legitimacy and responsibilities' so that 'we do not witness injustice against the cultural and artistic community in the future.' Meanwhile, theater director Mahmoud Azizian stated, 'Our director general and artistic deputy are mere puppets, and... if theater is to move in this direction, what need do we have for the artistic deputy and the director general?' In recent weeks, Mohammad Rahmanian, director of the play 'Old Songs of Young People,' and Shahram Gilabadi, director of the Theater House, were summoned to the prosecutor's office and released on bail. The reason for Mr. Rahmanian's summons was reported to be the 'solo performance' of a female singer in this play, but he stated that 'conditions vary on different nights of the theater; sometimes the second singer sings lower or higher, and it may be interpreted as a solo performance.' In September, Saeed Asadi, director of the City Theater, and Maryam Kazemi, director of the play 'A Midsummer Night's Dream,' were also detained and released on bail. The Tehran prosecutor also requested on January 1 that the Ministry of Culture take action against a play that, according to him, was being performed in one of Tehran's hotels 'in violation of religious principles.' Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi claimed that in this play, 'there is a lack of hijab, mixing of men and women, and the use of the French flag as a sign of support and violation of some values.' The Tehran prosecutor's reference may pertain to the play 'Les Misérables' directed by Hossein Parsayi, which is currently being performed at the Espinas Hotel in Tehran. Previously, some plays, including 'Shakh-e Nabati' and 'Hot Egg Tango,' had been halted by the prosecutor's order. In 2010, the director and other crew members of the play 'Hedda Gabler' were also summoned to the prosecutor's office.