Although theatre was never officially banned following the Islamic Revolution, it has also been subject to strict censorship. Between 1997 and 2001, when the reformists were exercising their new-found power, there was a ‘theatre boom’ in Iran, and 200,000 theatre tickets were sold during the Fajr Theatre Festival in 2002.81 Article 19’s 2006 report on censorship dedicated nine pages to its discussion of film, but only two to an overview of censorship in theatre, remarking that the most prevalent form of censorship at that time was self-censorship. Playwrights knew how to skirt Islamic law and present their topics symbolically and metaphorically in scripts and on the stage. Recently, the Iranian government has cracked down far more harshly on theatre companies and productions. 2002 was the height of Iran’s theatre industry since the Islamic Revolution. One of the most controversial aspects of theatre in the eyes of the Iranian government is that it is a very insular activity. Intellectuals produce theatre, and the audience is comprised of intellectuals. It is harder to control the content of theatre than film, as even if the script has been approved by the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, it is always possible to deviate from the official text in a live context. As should be increasingly apparent, the government is utilising state-supported conservative media to assist their regime of suppression and censorship. Artists have always had to deal with the tough policies of the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, but they have become adept at navigating the hierocracy’s system. What they have not become as accustomed to is the propagation of libel against them by news agencies like Kayhan and Fars News. Today practitioners of all art forms in Iran must be on high alert regarding the potential reactions 81. Article 19, ed. Art and Censorship in Iran, pp. 28.
Cultural Censorship in Iran
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