TEHRAN – Iranian authorities have suspended a Tehran theatre's production of Henrik Ibsen's play Hedda Gablerand set up a body to police cultural affairs in a sign of a new crackdown on the arts.
Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi, chief prosecutor in the Iranian capital, told the semi-official Fars news agency yesterday that he had summoned theatre company members to explain themselves and said a new office to police cultural affairs had been created.
“This play had some problems both conceptually and in the way it was performed,” Mr Dolatabadi said.
Fars, which described the play as “vulgar” and “hedonistic”, published photographs of the production in which a man and a woman appear to be on the verge of a kiss – an outrageous scene in Iran, where physical contact between unrelated men and women is banned.
The Norwegian playwright’s 1890 drama follows the fraught relations between the newly married Hedda, her husband and another man, leading to a tragic finale. It is widely considered a classic and the lead role is coveted by actors worldwide as one of the most demanding in theatre.
“Hedda Gabler, which is adapted from a western play and is based on nihilistic and hedonistic ideas and was performed in a very vulgar and inappropriate way for the public, was stopped,” Fars said.
Mr Dolatabadi announced the creation of a “culture and media” department within the prosecutor’s office. “We should make society’s cultural atmosphere healthy. We will confront any activities that endanger the cultural security of society,” he said.
Iran’s artistic and media activities are already regulated by the ministry of culture and Islamic guidance which ensures moral standards are respected.
The ban is just the latest example of the clash between strict Islamic moral norms and a desire by many highly educated Iranians to experience arts from around the world.
Mr Ahmadinejad’s chief of staff has been condemned by many fellow conservatives for speaking out in favour of the arts. Esfandiar Rahim-Mashaie last month criticised “some senior Shia clerics” for saying that music is banned by Islam. – (Reuters)