TEHRAN -- Curtains went up for the 26th Fajr International Theater Festival in Tehran as the opening ceremony was held at the mausoleum of the Founder of the Islamic Republic, Imam Khomeini, on Wednesday with the motto “Theater for All”.

“Theater belongs to all people, and we should try to improve this situation,” festival secretary Majid Sarsangi said at a press conference on Tuesday.
“The motto ‘Theater for All’ has been selected to turn the festival into a practical event. Thus 197 Iranian and foreign troupes have been scheduled to give 714 theatrical performances in 103 venues in Tehran during this year’s festival,” he added.
The secretariat has been working for a year to arrange the performances, Sarsangi stated.
“We believe that our theater artists have the potential to shine the spotlight on the festival as a major international event in the region,” he noted.
“I hope a permanent secretariat will be set up for the festival so the necessary connections between Iranian and foreign troupes as well with audiences can be established over the course of the year,” he added.
Sarsangi also announced that the festival organizers and the Center for Dramatic Arts collaborated in drafting the Iranian Theater Charter, which he described as the most important document of Iranian theater.
The charter was read out during the opening ceremony. However, it still must be approved by the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance.
The 26th Fajr International Theater Festival will run until February 14. Theater troupes from Germany, France, Switzerland, Poland, Russia, China, and six other foreign countries will be performing during the event.
An exhibition displaying posters designed for the Fajr Theater Festival over the past 25 years is also underway on the sidelines of the festival at the Saba Art and Cultural Institute.
The exhibit continues until February 11 at the venue, which is located on Mozaffar St., Taleqani Ave, near Felestin Square.