TEHRAN-The 17th Marivan International Street Theater Festival is underway in Marivan, Kordestan Province.

A total of 34 theatrical works have been selected in two sections of national competition and international competition, ISNA reported.

Film director, screenwriter, and puppeteer Marzieh Boroumand from Iran is serving on the jury of the international competition section along with jurors from Turkey and the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.

Boroumand, 73, is a graduate of theater from the University of Tehran’s Faculty of Fine Arts. She is best known for puppet TV shows “School of Mice,” “Grandma’s House,” “Tabeta Tales,” “Kelileh and Demneh Town” as well as puppet films “City of Mice,” and “City of Mice 2”.

Marivan City is located in the west of Kordestan Province, in the west of Iran. This city shares a 100 km border with Iraqi Kurdistan. 

Marivan International Street Theater Festival is one of the most important major artistic events in the field of performing arts in the country. Since 1994, the city of Marivan has been included in the list of cities with independent theater festivals in the country by holding the first memorial of the Marivan theater. 

The year 2001 should be considered as the starting point for the performance of street shows in Marivan because the sixth anniversary of the Marivan Regional Theater was held that year. The first national festival of Marivan street theater was held in 2004.

Street theater is a form of theatrical performance and presentation in outdoor public spaces without a specific paying audience. These spaces can be anywhere, including shopping centers, car parks, recreational reserves, college or university campuses, and street corners. They are especially seen in outdoor spaces where there are large numbers of people. 

The actors who perform street theatre range from buskers to organized theater companies or groups that want to experiment with performance spaces, or to promote their mainstream work. It was a source of providing information to people when there were no sources of providing information like television, radio, etc. Nowadays, sometimes performers are commissioned, especially for street festivals, children's shows, or parades.

Street theater is a way to make traditional theatre accessible for those who may not be able to otherwise attend or afford tickets. The audience typically consists of anyone and everyone who wants to watch and for most performances is free public entertainment.

Having been launched on October 11, this year’s edition of the Marivan International Street Theater Festival will run through October 16.

SS/SAB