“The homeland is not only a piece of land, it’s a memory, it’s love, it’s pain” is a line of dialogue in the play Melody of the Rainy City by a renowned contemporary Iranian playwright, Akbar Radi (1939-2007). The play displays the power of art in confronting human crisis, and is considered one of the most influential plays in contemporary Iranian theatre. Today, almost twenty years after Radi’s passing, his name echoed again in Iran as his home and office were destroyed during the Israeli air attacks on June 16th in Tehran. His widow Hamideh Bano Angha was affected by the wave of blasts, but his son was able to collect the dramatist’s handwritten notes out of rubble and broken glass. The image of the writer’s headshot on his desk surrounded by scattered glasses in a destroyed building was a heart-wrenching sight for many theatre fans and perhaps a reflection of the current state of the country’s theatre and entertainment industry.
Akbar Radi’s desk in his office hit during Israel attack Photo by Iran Theater.
Israel launched air attacks on Iran on June 13, killing top military commanders and civilians. In addition to military and nuclear facilities, the strikes have damaged seven hospitals, four health units, and many civilian houses. As of today, according to the country’s Judiciary spokesperson Asghar Jahangiri, the impact of 12 days of Israeli raids on Iran, has led to 935 deaths, Reuters reported. Among the dead were 38 children and 132 women.
Following the ceasefire agreement on June 23, the Iranian Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance has announced the reopening of theatres and cinemas to boost people’s morale despite concerns over safety risks. Tonight – Borscht and Blood, an adaptation of Fyodor Dostoevsky’s Notes from Underground, by Mehdi Yazdani- Khorram staged again on June 26, following nine months of box office success in Decor Theatre and Music Complex at Book Fair Garden. The show was completely sold out on its first return after the war.
Many productions have offered free tickets to strengthen hope, empathy, and national solidarity in society. Shahrzad Theatre, an independent playhouse, performed the production of August Strindberg’s Father directed by Vandad Sadeghi for free from June 26 to 29. A free concert-theatre performance Restless by Sajad Afsharian and Ehsan Abdipour at the City Theatre Complex on June 28 and Rules of Fox Hunt directed by Mohamad Shakeri at the Chaharsoo Hall, pay tribute to the theatre audience in Tehran. The Honar Hall (dedicated to children’s theatre) will also resume its shows.
According to Tehran City Theatre, the concert theatre Restless by Sajad Afsharian received a compelling reaction from the audience at its performance on June 28. A total of 1500 spectators watched the show, even sitting on stairs and the edge of the stage. Theatre fans arrived six hours earlier for this show, and the high attendance led the theatre company to a second call of the play on the same night. The Iranian officials, including the Minister of Science, the Deputy Minister of the Culture and Islamic Guidance, the District Mayor, and some of the theatre veterans, attended the show.
The country’s theatre seeks to rise up, yet it is uncertain whether it will face a fragile state in the early post-ceasefire days, with possible low attendance, or smoothly resume its former glory. Prior to the 12-day war between Iran and Israel, theatres in Tehran were staging various shows, ranging from musicals to modern and classical plays. A total of fifty shows have been running since mid-spring at the capital’s various playhouses. Some were scheduled to start in the summer before the airstrikes. The large number of productions indicated the considerable demand for theatre in a country already grappling with a sanction-stricken economy and a relatively young population yearning for creative art and entertainment.
King Lear – Photo by Reza Jawidi Tiwall
The box office statistics issued by Iran’s Dramatic Arts Center from May 4 – 23 reported on the top ten plays in their early weeks. The adaptation of William Shakespeare’s King Lear, directed by Elika Abdolrazzaghi at the City Theatre Complex, had over six thousand spectators during a thirteen-night performance, generating 23 billion rial sales (about $275000). The play Jafar Khan Has Returned from France written by Hassan Moghadam in 1921, directed by Elham Zolfaghari at Sangelach Theatre, was staged for eleven nights with 1.5 thousand viewers and 1.08 billion rial (about $13000) ticket sales. Mirza Mukhannas written and directed by Saleh Rajaee at Qashqaie Hall, with eight performances seen by 416 spectators and 730 million rial (about $8.7000) in sales, were some of the highest and the lowest shows in the box office ranking chart.
A six-hour adaptation of Fyodor Dostoevsky’s The Brothers Karamazov was staged at the Iranshahr Theatre Complex in Tehran starting January 2025, with performances set to continue until February 2026. The production directed by Ashkan Kheilnejad already had sold-out shows running each Saturday. Labkhand Theatre Complex, a newly built independent playhouse, has hosted three plays by the young and highly praised playwright and director Mohammad Mosavat since early spring in back-to-back sessions, which have been welcomed by the audience. The series was planned to continue by mid-July. These records clearly show the enthusiasm for entertainment and the performing arts before the conflict. Theatres in Iran have previously shown resilience amid challenging times by reopening after four months of closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic in June 2020, despite health concerns. Now, after another national crisis, the theatre is expected to rise again from shattered glass and the ruins of war.
This post was written by the author in their personal capacity.The opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not reflect the view of The Theatre Times, their staff or collaborators.
This post was written by Niloofar Mohtadi.
The views expressed here belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect our views and opinions.
