What happened in the gathering of artists in the city theater?

Charso Press: At the beginning of this meeting, which was held this evening, Sunday, July 25, at the management office of the city theater, Ismail Khalaj, a veteran theater director and playwright, addressed the city managers: If we want art to spread among the general public, we must start from the external aspect, and one of the ways is to pay attention to the city theater. This art complex should shout from afar that it is a cultural place.

We should feel the sweetness of the city’s theater from afar

Stating that all arts are for a better life and the return of hope, he added: before we as a theater community show what theater is, we must attract the audience because without the presence of the audience, theater cannot happen. One of the ways to attract theater audience is to draw his attention to the city’s theater complex. In the same way, in urban programs, we should feel the sweetness of the city’s theater from afar so that we fall in love with it and want to see its shows.

It has become normal to see social damage in the busiest part of the city

Then, Alireza Nadali, the spokesperson of Tehran City Council, referring to the issues that were raised about the privacy of the city theater complex and its cleaning, reminded: this issue was limited to press follow-ups for a while and was not implemented. Of course, we knew that it was the demand of the artistic community.

He regretted the occurrence of various anomalies around the city theater and continued: Unfortunately, seeing social damage in the busiest part of the city has become normal. In this situation, we tried very hard to advance several discussions at the same time; Collecting peddlers was one side of the story and another part was related to extortionists and criminals.

The spokesperson of the city council added: This criticism was aimed at the municipality, which recognized the spring booths around the city theater on the eve of Eid, which made them last longer and made it difficult to collect them. Especially since the issue of machete was raised earlier.

Nad Ali added: Because rooting these problems is difficult, everyone resists them. Of course, Mr. Chamran, the head of the city council, helped a lot and we did not fail.

The spokesperson of the city council emphasized that the city council’s program in the area of ​​the city theater is not only limited to collecting peddlers, and continued: In this area, we witness the presence of those who have sexual abnormalities, and of course, they have the right to live. But we try not to be present around the theater of the city, but to settle in another place.

Nad Ali, recalling the plan to create privacy for the Shahr Theater complex, said: Last year, this plan was proposed with the beautification organization, and the friends of the Shahr Theater also presented another plan. For us, it doesn’t matter which plan is implemented, but the health of the complex environment is important.

Emphasizing that wherever there is cultural activity, social damage is reduced, he noted: With some programs such as street performances, we must fill the outer space of the city’s theater because it cannot be left empty because a replacement will be found quickly. Let’s not hope in vain that we will find space for all vendors because we don’t have that much land. We hope to formalize the cleaning of the city’s theater with the help of artists, so that our colleagues will be encouraged that they are not alone in this story.

We are going through the middle age

In the continuation of the meeting, Qutbuddin Sadeghi, another veteran theater artist, expressing his happiness that the authorities finally thought of organizing the city theater, mentioned District 6 and District 11 as the two cultural districts of Tehran and explained: These two districts are among Tehran’s cultural districts because of their theater collections, bookstores, and galleries, and the city theater is the most prominent cultural place in this district. However, unfortunately, the cultural aspect of these areas has fallen today. However, the work of the municipality of these two regions is difficult due to their special characteristics.

This director and theater teacher emphasized: The identity of a city is from its culture. That is, culture gives identity to a city. A city without culture is a village, and what brings society out of its instinctive state is the creation of culture.

Sadeghi expressed regret that we are going through a middle age and explained: Many bookstores have closed and our city has no cultural management. If we do not move and do not remove mediocrity, our dignity in the world will be lost because we are known for our culture and art.

This theater expert noted: Managers come and go, but artists and cultural places are permanent. The city theater is not just a building for us. It is a holy temple and a creative engine and model of our theater. Don’t let it get a discount.

Sadeghi emphasized: I kiss the hands of the peddlers, but they don’t belong here. I say kudos to Mr. Kerbaschi, the former mayor of Tehran, who brought culture out from behind the bars by removing the fences of the parks, including the student park, but currently, the establishment of peddlers in the cultural sanctuary of this complex is very inappropriate. Do they go in front of the mosque or the university? The presence of peddlers here shows the underestimation of the culture while we should take care of what we have.

Sadeghi lamented the social anomalies around the city theater and added: What is happening here is the fall of morals and culture. These events are not part of the thousand years of our culture. The most important issue is the organization within the theater of the city. Anyone can enter the vacuum. Therefore, we must have a plan for this. We love construction, creativity and purity and holiness.

At the end of his speech, the artist emphasized the need for the municipality to support cultural activities: the municipality and the city council should spend money on culture and art, like municipalities in other countries, and not consider it as the last priority.

Why does the municipality tax the theater?

Amir DejakamAnother theater artist as the next speaker of the program said: Knowledge is simple and ignorance is complex. We all know that this environment needs privacy. None of us know what crimes have happened here in these years, which of you is willing to let your family travel in this area.

He continued: The desire of our theater family is to create this space and perform an artistic program inside it. The municipality must pay because it is its duty, and we also have the question of why they tax the theater.

If we didn’t fall in love with theater, maybe bad things would happen to us

Hadi HijazifarAnother theater artist, referring to the passion he had during his student days to see city theater shows, said: We were in other cities, we used to save all our money to see theater in the city theater.

This actor and director continued: I am very grateful that the important work of cleaning the city theater has finally started because our constant concern was the situation around the city theater. I hope this arrangement will continue. Unfortunately, in these years, the demands of our theater community have been very low.

Emphasizing the important role of art in improving people’s lives, Hijazi Far explained: If we didn’t fall in love with theater, maybe bad things would happen to us. If theater children have the opportunity to work, their life expectancy will increase. Although it seems that some people don’t want theater, but this art remains. We theater people will stay with the physical children as stepchildren.

Mohammad Mousavi, the mayor of District 11 Emphasizing the importance of cultural places, he added: All city managers have cultural concerns. Fortunately, we cleaned up the area around the city theater and the creation of privacy will be implemented soon.

He called the city theater building a unique building and emphasized: We are concerned about it, just as the student garden is also important to us. To continue this work, we only ask for spiritual support from you, the artists. In such incidents, people stand in front of us and say that the municipality’s force reached the peddlers, while we are not facing peddlers, but we are facing those who have employees and whose income is more than some of our artists.

In the following, Maqsood Naimi Zakir, managing director of the Theater House He invited the city council and the municipality to hold joint meetings for pathology at the theater house. Because cultural work definitely has its effects on social issues.

He said: The student park is not separate from the city theater and it can be the savior of students, but doing this requires intellectual engineering.

Massoud Ranjbarian, Managing Director of Shahrban and Hareemban Company who was one of the other officials present in the program, expressed his regret about the broadcast of a clip in the virtual space and said: The scope of the city theater has always been a concern of the city council and municipality. In this area, our colleagues have been stabbed and after the working hours of the police force, it becomes difficult to maintain here.

He continued: Some peddlers here really pay for the family and although cleaning this place is necessary, it is good for the peddlers to settle at a distance.

In response to him, Nad Ali emphasized that when peddlers reappear, it will not be easy to collect them and in this situation, no one will go to legal businesses.

After this meeting, the managers along with the artists gathered in the lobby of the main hall of the city theater to express their desire about the continuation of the cleaning plan.

Seyed Javad Taheri, director of the Shahr Theater Complex, thanked the city council and the regional municipality for organizing the hawkers, and said: The request of the artists is the continuation of the conditions that we have witnessed in security in these few days, and the implementation of the privacy plan of the complex is another request that this plan, which is approved in the cultural heritage, be implemented.

Amir Dejakam who was invited to give a speech again, requested that the student park’s privacy be created so that its inner space can be used by artists of all disciplines.

He also emphasized that the problem of peddlers will be solved when the country’s economic problems are solved.

Then Nad Ali, the spokesperson of the city council, also said: previously, the gardens were used by families, but our big problem is that today, around the Shahr Theater, which is part of the cultural heritage, we are facing all kinds of social problems day and night, and the presence of peddlers has caused us to have no control over this space.

He continued: Our request is to support this work because the pressure on our colleagues in the municipality is high. All urban spaces should be usable for families.

Then Engineer Mousavi, the mayor of District 11, as another speaker of the program, said: An important part of Tehran’s identity is defined in the area around the city theater, and this complex is a strategic point, and its building is recognized by all people as a part of Tehran’s identity.

Stating that one of the main slogans of the municipality is the revival of urban identities, he continued: cleaning the student park was in the same direction so that the area of ​​the city hall is known as a cultural hangout. To continue this action, we need the spiritual support of artists and people. Our plan is to carry out cultural activities instead of these anomalies in order to witness a safe atmosphere in this garden, but the municipality alone cannot continue this action and needs the spiritual support of artists.