Sacred Defense Theater in Iran

Numerous organizations and institutions are active in the field of Sacred Defense theater in Iran. Most of these institutions are affiliated with the military forces, yet civilian organizations such as the Performing Arts Center, Radio and Television, Martyrs of Iran's Islamic Revolution Foundation, the Art Department of the Islamic Development Organization, Education and Training Organization, the Ministry of Science and some other institutions have also been active in this regard.

 

The Process of Producing a Theater in the Institutions Affiliated with the Sacred Defense Affairs

“The first organized movements in the area of the Sacred Defense theater go back to the artistic programs organized by the Army and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, in the cities, barracks and front lines of the war from 1982 onwards. In the same year, a special unit was dedicated to performing plays and theatres and since 2000, it became organized under the " Management of Performing Arts ". Likewise, by holding the "National Memorial of the Shahrivar 17^th Theater" the IRGC Cultural Department launched the first festival related to the theater of the Revolution and Sacred Defense. However, the main institutions involved in the production of Sacred Defense theater in Iran are the " Foundation for the Preservation and Publication of Sacred Defense Works and Values" and the " Association of the Revolution and Sacred Defense Theater ".

The Foundation for the Preservation and Publication of Sacred Defense Works started working under the name "War Propaganda Headquarters" at the beginning of the 1980s, and after the end of the Iran-Iraq war, it changed its name and redefined its policy based on new missions. At the beginning of the 1990s, this foundation invested heavily in this field by holding national festivals in an attempt to support the production of the Sacred Defense theater. Producing and publishing plays, investing in the production of radio and television shows, supporting university student projects and theses, and supporting other Sacred Defense theater festivals in the country have been among the most important programs carried out by the Foundation for the Preservation and Publication of Sacred Defense Works in the previous years.

By establishing the " Cultural Foundation of Narration" in 1990, whose main policy was to support the culture of Revolution and Sacred Defense in the field of visual arts, poetry, music, film and performing arts, in 1995, the Association of Revolution and Sacred Defense Theater

emerged within the body of the Cultural Foundation of Narration with the aim of organizing the dramatic literature of the Revolution and Sacred Defense. Over time, the activities of the association expanded to other areas related to the Sacred Defense theater.

Since late 1980 until now, plays and shows with the theme of the Sacred Defense have been performed every year in many parts of the country. Although there are no accurate statistics and information about the number of these performances, the fieldwork studies especially in the city of Tehran, reveal that from 1999 to 2008, 107 shows with the theme of the Sacred Defense were performed in Tehran.

In the tables below, the statistics of the number of Sacred Defense theatrical performances in Tehran in a period of 28 years (from 1981 to 2009) are presented. Accordingly, the city's theater halls have the largest share with 48 performances, followed by Moulavi Hall and Howzei-e Honari Hall. Other halls have not hosted such performances. Of course, 162 performances in 28 years means that every year less than 6 theatrical performances in the field of Sacred Defense have been performed.

The Number of Theatrical Performances in Tehran Per Year (1999-2008)

No.	Year	Number of Performances
1	1999	5
2	2000	5
3	2001	13
4	2002	8
5	2003	4
6	2004	5
7	2005	11
8	2006	18
9	2007	15
10	2008	23

 

The Number of Theatrical Performances with the Theme of the Sacred Defense Performed in the Theater Halls of Tehran (1981 to 2009)

No.	Name of the Theater Hall	Number of the Theatrical Performances
1	Main City Theater Hall	11
2	Kargah-e Namayesh	2
3	Qashqaei	10
4	Tallar-e Nou	3
5	Saieh	8
6	Chaharsu	14
7	Khanei-e Kouchak	6
8	Vahdat	11
9	Sangelaj	2
10	Moulavi	34
11	Mehrab	1
12	Tallar-e Honar	2
13	Howzei-e Honrai	18
14	Khanei-e Namayesh	3
15	Farhangsari-e Bahman	13
16	Farhangsari-e Khavaran	2
17	Farhangsari-e Arasbaran	2
18	Farhangsari-e Eshraq	2
19	Farhangsari-e Andishe	3
20	Farhangsari-e Banoo	1
21	Farhangsari-e Fadak	2
22	Farhangsari-e Qanoon	1
23	Mojtama Farhangi Noor	1
24	Tallar-e Pravaz	1
25	Mojtama Farhangi Osveh	6
26	Markaz Farhangi va Honari Amoozesh va Parvaresh Mantaqe 11	2
27	Khanei-e Farhang Hakimyyeh	1
	Total	162

Since 1983, when the first festival of the "National Commemoration of Shahrivar 17^th" was held, until 2009, 21 different festivals have been held that addressed the themes related to the Sacred Defense Theater some of which like the "National Festival of the Sacred Defense Theater" has continued for many years.

 

Changing the title of "Sacred Defense Theater" to "Resistance Theater" gives extraterritorial orientation to the culture of defense. This is a kind of expansion of the subject which drives the artist's attention toward the global and wider concepts of the culture of resistance thereby encouraging him to gain a more profound understanding of the situation.

 

Moving towards making the process of producing a theater about the war semi-governmental and creating a supportive and encouraging atmosphere for the activities of private groups and organizations are among the basic strategies for reviving the production and performance of such shows. The establishment, continuity and independence of private groups and organizations will play a key role in the formation of this trend.

Reference: The Journal of Honar-Ha-Ye-Ziba: Honar-Ha-Ye-Namayeshi Va Mosighi. Vol  17, No 1, Spring 2013, Pp 35-46.

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