CHAPTER 6: THE PARYN THEATER HOUSE!
The Paryn Theater House; initiator of the rise of private theaters in Iran
What later became known as the Paryn Theater House was actually a relatively large basement in an old mansion. The Mostazafan Foundation of the Islamic Revolution usually announced auctions for renting its premises, and this basement was part of an auction too. With the idea of establishing a theater house, Behzad Mortezavi attended the auction, and the basement was rented to him. Then, with great effort and huge spending, the basement was turned into a small theater hall for 100 people with a one-sided stage. It was very small compared to the government halls, with a stage measuring 7.5*4.5 square meters and a ceiling height of 3 meters, which made the installation of a projector difficult.
Prior to the opening of this theater, Iranian artistic plays were limited to governmental and semi-governmental halls. Due to the small number of state-run and municipal theater halls, many artists usually waited for several months and years to stage their works; some even gave up due to the long wait. Few private theaters, mostly old cinemas, staged comedy shows that were different from artistic plays. Within a month and a half after Behzad got the basement, the theater hall was ready for operation and began staging plays for children and young adults. The theater community soon learned about the establishment of the hall, and preparations for the first professional performance were made: "Kabous Nameh" (Nightmares) by "Vahid Rahbani". It was an unconventional play that was welcomed by the audience. Spectators had to enter the hall blindfolded and could not take off their blindfolds until the end of the performance. They experienced the play through their other senses such as hearing, smell, and touch. Following the successful performance of the play during 30 nights, it was extended for 10 more performances. Since the hall did not have the usual bureaucracies existing in state-run halls, the demand for performances in the hall increased, and it hosted two performances per day. Thus, during the day, the theater house hosted specialized literary and artistic workshops as well as rehearsal sessions, and from the evening onwards, the plays were performed on its stage. During one year, the theater hall hosted more than 20 plays. The fame of the hall spread throughout the city soon, and even the former president and his ministers came to this small hall to see the performances. The establishment of this theater hall motivated other interested parties, and little by little, more private halls opened in Tehran, and then their number in Iran began to increase. Now there are about 30 private theaters only in Tehran.
Given Behzad's political background in the 2009 election, there was high sensitivity on this hall: for example, as the director of the Paryn Theater House, Behzad had to answer several times to museum officials and the Evaluation and Supervision Council why the president, who had been in power for eight years, purchased a ticket to watch a show in a small hall! Getting any performance permit had become an unequal battle for Behzad and the directors. Museum officials also watched every performance before staging along with the respected reviewers of the Supervision Council and considered themselves obliged to comment. The performance of "Mortician" written by "Mehrdad Rayani Makhsous" in the hall was banned by the chairman of the Evaluation and Supervision Council, the play "Yerma" was rejected in the rereading and review session, "Shohreh Soltani" was banned from staging the play "Picnic on the Battlefield", and the plays "Session" and "Piano" did not receive performance permits by museum officials.
Eventually, due to the narrow-mindedness and pressure of non-cultural people and politicians, the theater house was taken from Behzad after a year, and its activities stopped. His efforts to set up the theater hall in another place did not bear fruit, but the result of the movement continues in the Iranian theater.
For Behzad's efforts, in May 2013, the General Directorate of Performing Arts awarded him a statuette and a plaque of honor for the best private activist in the field of theater.
