TEHRAN-The 15th edition of the Children of Mosque Popular Theater Festival, following a three-year hiatus, will be held in Bafq, an ancient town in central Yazd province, the organizers have announced. 

Kourosh Zarei, the director of the Art Bureau's Center for Dramatic Arts, mentioned during a press conference in Tehran on Sunday that the festival was suspended for three years to create the right infrastructure and perspectives.

He also noted that during this period, several theater groups in mosques across the country were producing plays and getting ready for this edition of the festival.

The plays have now reached maturity and are ready to enter serious arenas, with this year's outputs scheduled to be performed and participate in the country's theater events, he mentioned. 

Furthermore, Zarei added that this year's performing plays are the output of 800 theater groups, and efforts are being made to reach out to villages as well.

He emphasized that this theater festival should expand to all corners of Iran in order to discover and guide talents even in the remote areas of the country.

Highlighting the motto of the fifteenth festival as "My Mosque, My Artistic Home," Zarei stressed the intention to merge religious context with artistic themes and attract teenagers to mosques as cultural centers suitable for children to spend their time.

For his part, Seyyed Mostafa Motorchi, the secretary of the festival, mentioned that in addition to producing works, a series of workshops will be organized on the sidelines of the event.

He also stated that the festival's focus is on teamwork, and awards will be presented to the best team works.

The 15th edition of the Children of Mosque Popular Theater Festival, with the participation of 14 groups of artists in the field of theater in mosques across the country, will open in Bafq on Tuesday and run until May 10.

SAB/