harsh statement that indicates some form of treason or betrayal has been carried out. For example, Khamenei recently referred to Rafsanjani, who was the Iranian president before Khatami and was known to be conservative, as ‘khavas-e bi basirat.’ This title was bestowed upon Rafsanjani because he refused to condemn the protests following the 2009 elections or to denounce opposition leaders like Mousavi and Karroubi; the regime was hoping he would do both. The interaction between the audience member and the actors reminded them of the months of hardship they had endured whilst seeking permission to perform the play. Jafari, the play’s director, said, “In just one of our pre-performance reviews we received a list of 41 amendments that we had to make before being reconsidered … We had to remove a female character from the play. The authorities said she was objectionable because she owned a coffee shop and had a flirtatious personality.”89 Progovernment media described the performance as an “explicit insult to the Islamic Revolution.”90 These accusations mirror those that were levelled at Hedda Gabler. Jahan News, a conservative news website, wrote, “Not long has passed since the performance of obscene plays like Hedda Gabler and Antigone and we are again observing yet another example of problematic performances.”91 Jahan News continued, “These days some theatre practitioners are thinking in line with the ideals and beliefs of the Green Movement, they are opposing the system 89. Mehr, "The Spectator Sentenced to Death›s Idea is Universal," Mehr News Agency, March 6, 2011, http://www.mehrnews.com/fa/newsdetail. aspx?NewsID=1268059. 90. Jahan, "Theatre’s Explicit Insult to the Islamic Revolution," Jahan News, March 9, 2011, http://www.jahannews.com/vdcgyy9qqak9nt4.rpra.html. 91. Ibid.
Cultural Censorship in Iran
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