of cultural emergency, and it sees that theatre practitioners are enduring far harsher working conditions, without hope for the situation improving in the near future.
The pre-review process, a frustrating and paralysing inconvenience for theatre practitioners
Cultural Censorship in Iran
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While Hedda Gabler received its licence for public performance after enduring the strict pre-review process, and did manage to appear on stage briefly, some plays are either never staged, have their permissions revoked, or are altered beyond recognition during the pre-performance review phase. The Spectator Sentenced to Death, a play by contemporary Romanian author Matei Vişniec and directed by Ruhollah Jafari, could not gain approval for performance during the 2010 Fajr Festival, receiving its licence for public viewing months later after four lengthy reviews. The Spectator Sentenced to Death takes place in a court in which the concept of justice is presented as a victim, and values and laws are presented for moral scrutiny. A performance of The Spectator Sentenced to Death quickly turned controversial when an audience member interjected with a politically-charged statement during the show, turning the play into a reflection of the current sociopolitical climate in Iran. During the play the judge says to the prosecutor, “Can you call this criminal something so that we are convinced he is a criminal?” According to news reports an audience member rose to his feet and interjected, “You should call him khavaas-e bi basirat [lit. ‘the ignorant elite’]!!”88 Khavaas-e bi basirat is a critical term first used by Khamenei to describe reform-minded members of parliament who used to be supporters of the conservative regime. It is a 88. KhabarOnline, "‘The Ignorant Elite’ in ‹The Spectator Sentenced to Death,›" Khabar Online, March 8, 2011, http://www.khabaronline.ir/news-135813.aspx.