21st Tehran-Mobarak International Puppet Theater Festival to kick off at TMoCA

TEHRAN- The preliminary events of the 21st Tehran-Mobarak International Puppet Theater Festival will kick off on Friday with an opening ceremony at the Cinematheque of the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art (TMoCA).

According to the festival's public relations office, the event will begin at 5:00 p.m., bringing together puppet theater artists, performers, and cultural figures to mark the start of the festival's activities ahead of its main edition in October.

The event will feature virtual speeches by Peter Schumann, the renowned puppet theater artist and founder of the “Bread and Puppet Theater,” and John T. Bell, a puppet theater historian and university lecturer, as well as a speech by Hamidreza Ardalan, an Iranian theater and music researcher and university lecturer.

Organizers will also unveil the festival's official poster, designed by Iranian graphic artist Farzad Adibi, during the ceremony.

The 21st edition of the Tehran-Mobarak International Puppet Theater Festival will be directed by Poupak Azimpour Tabrizi and is set to take place in Tehran in October, continuing the festival's tradition of promoting puppet theater as a platform for artistic innovation and international cultural exchange.

Since its inception in 1989, the Tehran-Mobarak Festival has established itself as a prestigious cultural gathering in Iran, attracting puppet theater troupes from around the world. The festival not only showcases international talent but also promotes the rich tradition of puppet theater.

SAB/