Censorship and Contemporary Iranian Theatre

My practice-based PhD research will investigate the effect of censorship on the formation of contemporary (post-1979 Revolution) Iranian theatre. I will explore how directors have found ways to tell their stories despite censorship and, conversely, how censorship has led to female characters fading from Iranian theatres. The project will be conducted through case studies, workshops, and performances - with and without the mandatory object (headscarf) - where I will examine how government guidance as censorship structures performative approaches and the connection with audiences.

Using Judith Butler's theories of subjection and the effect of power on the formation of the female body (1997) alongside Afsaneh Najmabadi's Middle Eastern historical approach to how women are seen in a religion-based social system (2005), I will explore theatre activism in Iran and the ways in which women's resistance to an imposed aesthetic is practised. I will also draw on Helen Freshwater's (2009) and Lisa Goldman's research (2012) on theatre censorship in the UK and Iran, respectively, as a well-direct exploration of the respective archives.

Additionally, I will reflect on my experiences at the digital theatre festival The Red Curtain International during the pandemic, where I performed one of my banned plays, to assess how free digital platforms can offer new opportunities to evade censorship. My participation there showed me how different my approach towards directing became in a censorship-free environment.

The Islamic Republic has enforced censorship of the media and the arts since its inception in 1979, mainly through the activities of the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance. In my practice as a professional actress since the 2010s, I have encountered several of such restrictions onstage: specific conventions dictating what physical actions are acceptable/unacceptable for female actors, the prohibition of kissing, hugging, or any physical contact between men and women, and the mandatory scarf - the main symbol of the Islamic Republic's religious ideology.

As a performer, literally everything was taken away from me. I only had my face and voice on the stage, so I had to find strategies to convey the nature of a role to an audience. Subsequently, I started writing and directing plays about women, mainly because of the lack of strong female characters and female-centred plays in Iran.

But then I had to overcome a different type of restriction regarding what subjects I could cover and being forbidden from criticizing the current situation in Iran.

I want to investigate ways of communicating with the audience in the context of censorship. By understanding the obstacles in my country, I will be able to explore the different kinds of obstacles in the UK, especially those women encounter. Considering each culture's social and religious barriers, I look forward to researching the differences and similarities between my culture and the UK in this respect.

I also want to examine, through performance, the religious and traditional boundaries that migrant women from the Middle East face.