Document Type : Research Article

Authors

• Naser Rezaei ¹
• Mohammadreza Rezvani ²
• Hamed Soltanzadeh ³

¹ Assistant professor of Political Geography, Research Institute of Cultural Heritage and Tourism, Tehran, Iran

² Professor of Anthropogeography ,University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

³ PhD of History,University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

From the Nasserite period to the mid-1930s, LalehZar Street was one of the main centers of modernism in Tehran. A significant number of theaters and cinemas, as well as cafes and offices of some of the press, were located in this street. The impotant matter is that our knowledge about many of these cases is limited and inaccurate. As an example, we can point to the serious weakness of the researches about LalehZar theaters. In an unpublished paper, we have explained the situation of LalehZar theaters from the time of the first performance in the upper floor of Faros Printing house in 1909 until the end of the reign of Reza Shah (1941). In this research, we seek to explain the situation of LalehZar theaters from 1941 to 1979.
  The main question of this research is about factors which were effective in the ups and downs of LalehZar theaters in the period between 1941 and 1979. We have used the library research method for collecting information about Laleh-zar theaters. Our findings indicate that political, cultural and economic factors were influential in the situation of LalehZar theaters in this period. Following the expansion of social and political freedom after the fall of the government of Reza Shah, the desire to perform theater increased and various theater groups began to work. In this relatively free space, critical views on social or political issues were presented in the songs performed in the interlude. Theater Performances of Nushin group in Farhang and Ferdowsi theaters increased the quality level of other theaters. After the coup 1953 a number of theater artists were arrested because of affiliation with Tudeh Party or National Front. However, political change did not make serious influence on LalehZar theaters. Of course, increasing the popularity of Cinema in the 1950s caused the LalehZar theaters to face economic problems. So they started performing attraction in the theater from 1956. Meanwhile, as a result of the geographical development of Tehran, from the mid-1930s, wealthy people and middle-class members gradually turned to other entertainment centers instead of LalehZar theaters, and the lower classes became the main clients of these theaters. Finally, during the Islamic Revolution, there were serious changes in the situation of LalehZar theaters.

Keywords

• LalehZar
• Tehran Theater
• Ferdowsi Theater
• Pars Theater
• Attraction

Main Subjects

• socialhistory and art

Extended Abstract:

The ups and downs of the theaters of Laleh-zar street (1941-1979)

Introduction

LalehZar Street has been one of the main centers of modernism in Tehran, but up to now a few attention has been paid to its role in the cultural history of contemporary Iran. As an example, we can point to a serious flaw in the research background of LalehZar theaters.

Examining the published research articles, it can be said that the historical process of performing theater in LalehZar theaters has been studied in only one research article. The title of this article is "Transformation of the Concept of Theater in LalehZar Street as a Spectacle of Iranian Modernity" (Habibian and Rahmanpour 2015). In addition, the following books provide explanations about LalehZar theaters: Tehran theaters from 1868 to 2010 (Habibian and Aghahosseini 1389), cultivating public taste in the Pahlavi era (Gholipour 1397), A survey of the history of Iranian theater (Oskooi 1378), Unsuccessful Attempts (A survey of a century of Iranian theater) (Gouran, 2001) and Tehran theaters (Sheikhi 1396). In none of these works there is a detailed explanation of the main reason for the dominance of attraction in the LalehZar theaters in the second half of the 1950s and also the general change of class status of spectators of LalehZar theaters in the 1960s. In this study, a more detailed explanation of the situation of LalehZar theaters between 1941 and 1956 is presented and an attempt is made to explain the important changes of LalehZar theaters from the mid-1950s until the Islamic Revolution.

 Method of data collection

We have used the library method to collect information. For this purpose, we have relied on the published memoirs of a number of artists active in LalehZar theaters between 1941 and 1979. We also checked out some of newspapers and journals published in that period and tried to find information about LalehZar theaters in them. However, after spending considerable time, we came to the conclusion that the amount of useful information on this subject in the newspapers and journals published in that period is very little. Therefore, most of the contents of this article are based on the contents mentioned in the memoirs of the artists present in the LalehZar theaters in that period.

Research Findings

With the fall of Reza Shah's government in 1941, the peak period of theater performance in LalehZar started. In the relatively open space of 1940, the desire to perform theater increased and various theater groups began to work. During this period, the performances of Nooshin group in Farhang and Ferdowsi theaters increased the quality level of the theater in that period.

  From the middle of the 1950s, the LalehZar theaters started performing attraction in the theater. Then, in the 1960s, the class status of spectators of LalehZar theaters changed, and from that time until 1978, some of the members of the lower class were the main spectators of LalehZar theaters. Then, during the events related to the Islamic Revolution, as a result of the anger of the revolutionary people against the prevailing cultural situation in LalehZar in the last years of the Pahlavi regime, some of LalehZar theaters were set on fire.

Discussion and conclusion

Some writers have considered the political developments after the coup 1953 as the main factor in the domination of the attraction over the programs of LalehZar theaters in the second half of the 1950s. In this study, it was shown that the performance of attraction in the LalehZar theaters had primarily an economic factor. It was also explained that as a result of the geographical development of Tehran from the mid-1950s, wealthy people and middle-class members gradually turned to other entertainment centers instead of LalehZar theaters, and so some of the members of the lower class became the main spectators of these theaters. During the events related to the Islamic Revolution, the situation changed. Some LalehZar theaters were set on fire during these events. The situation of LalehZar theaters in the years after the revolution is an important issue and needs special attention of researchers.