TEHRAN-Iranian theater director Behrouz Gharibpour will hold a masterclass titled “In-Depth Exploration of Puppet Theater” as part of the 20th Tehran-Mobarak International Puppet Theater Festival. 

The workshop, to be held from October 8 to 12, aims to enhance the quality of puppetry performances, in line with the festival's goal of elevating the art form both in Iran and globally, Honaronline reported.

Gharibpour’s masterclass, the first in this year’s series, will cover a wide range of topics crucial to the art of puppetry. Participants will delve into the significance of puppet theater across the world, explore different styles of puppetry - ranging from glove puppetry and rod puppets to shadow puppetry, marionettes, and the traditional Japanese bunraku. 

The sessions will also cover scriptwriting, directing, stage lighting, troupe management, and audience engagement techniques for puppet theater. The workshop will consist of five in-person sessions at Ferdowsi Theater in Tehran. 

The 20th Tehran-Mobarak International Puppet Theater Festival will run from December 16 to 23 in Tehran and will feature performances for all ages. The festival will also include outdoor shows, international performances, a playwriting competition, a 100-second short film category for virtual platforms, and exhibitions showcasing technical innovations in puppetry. 

Alongside performances, the festival will host specialized panels, workshops, and discussions to provide participants with further insights into the art of puppetry. This year’s festival will be held under the theme “White Dream of Friendship”.

A pioneer of traditional Persian puppet theatre, Gharibpour, 74, studied theater at the University of Tehran and at the Dramatic Arts Academy in Rome (Silvio D'Amico). He founded Tehran and Esfahan Puppet Theater centers. He has experienced in writing and directorship in fields such as theater, puppet theater, cinema, documentary movies, and T.V.

In 1991, Gharibpour established the Bahman Cultural Center, transforming a former slaughterhouse into one of the most active cultural sites for artists’ activities. He repeated this transformation for other spaces, including, in 1999, converting the Iran Shahr Military Garrison into the Iranian Artists’ Forum, which he managed for eight years.

Gharibpour is known for his solid research works on the Iranian puppetry as was commonly practiced during Qajar era. He has also served as the president of the Union Internationale de la Marionnette (International Puppetry Association).

SS/SAB