Fadjr Theater Festival is going to become 34 year old so as the most important theatrical event in the whole country. A brief review of Festivals’ schedule for this year indicates that programmers , Policy-Makers and working party tried to make a reasonable report card for themselves full of big famous and familiar faces , known for audiences .
This festival bends underneath weights of such a honour role like : William Shakespeare , Herrick Ibsen , Bahram Beyzaei , Dr. Ali Rafiei , Mohammad Rahmanian , Homer , Akbar Radi and etc. because basically, It can’t meet the expectations of audiences due to Mid-Level quality of pheromones . Audiences expect to watch great plays or at least , defendable ones . Massive amounts of this years ‘performances are repeating old clichés . Although these plays includes best performances of the year from “ terror ” to “ when we, deadpeople arise ” and “ crime and punishment ” and in the following ,this repeatition of old clichés reduces the attractiveness of the festival but just still turns out to a possibility and fortune for those people whom missed the first performances during the year.
Why these bunch of empty houses of this table should be filled with these plays? And that’s the question which repeats every year like old clichés but seems finding an answer for this question is a mission Impossible!
This situation caused pro festival goers from long time ago until nowadays, would like to watch foreign groups which have limited and outstanding performances. The significant difference of this year festival in comparison with recent years is that the quality of foreign plays.However,Fadjr Festival has a long way to become a famous international theatrical brand but foreign plays of 34thFadjr due to efforts of Mehrdad Rayani Makhsoos , Secretary of the International Division brought the fresh air of change to the festival and could open the space for dialogue of civilizations and Sub-Cultures. It sounds like working party of the festival for a better communication of audiences with foreign performences,Invited groups whom their main concentration is on the form and specifically on the act rather than the dialogues. Structures of these plays is based on video arts and visual effects which we haven’t seen much of them in the recent years and intentionally emphasizes on making the scene look gorgeous as possible as it could be.
”Game Of Shadows” reveals many characteristics of Japan theater. Lighting and music Play main roles in this performance. Although Casting crews’ eagerness of “Game of Shadows” to perform a globally concept , Someynderlay concepts in this play demands understanding and being familiar with Japan culture .
Sofia Berczi tried to demonstrate a modern way of utilizing volume,colour and lighting and she in “Living-Surface” focuses on scene decoration more than anything in this play even actors are not in her first priority. She uses this procedure in “Becoming Butterfly”, too .
In Belgian play of “Body evolution” which is a video art performance , Audiences will face less-known capabilities of actors’ body .
”Schizophrenia” from Iraq can’t compete with its’ other foreign rivals because It’s not good enough although it can be almost successful in showing the mental situation and agitation of a “Schizophrenic”.
Watching this kind of acts alongside European performances helps us realize the differences of quality of theater in developing and developed countries which expends audiences perspective about festival .
”Me-Medea” from Georgia and “Hamlet” from Germany Modernize classic plays of the theater world. Both plays practice defamilirization which is the main specification of theirs.
”Dance of Death,Blala” a theatrical association between Iran and Germany is an almost successful sample of physical theater directed by Yaser Khaseb.This performance is formed by silence in collation with act and music and in composition of lighting and sound which makes audiences discover the unknown abilities of actors’ body. At the end of the play, Khaseb with manipulating a living snake between his hands scares the hell out of viewers.
Foreign plays of this year is not comparable with their recent year rivals and that’s where the festival should get credits for.
Written by : Dr.Shahram KharraziHa , Review Department of Theater Festival
Translated by : Frazad Jamshid danaei
