Retracing a Utopian Stage

  • Shiraz poster3_0167

    Posters for Festival of Arts, Shiraz – Persepolis (1967-1977) designed by Ghobad Shiva.

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    Posters for Festival of Arts, Shiraz – Persepolis (1967-1977) designed by Ghobad Shiva.

  • Balinese Gamelan

    Balinese Gamelan Gong Kebyar Concert & Traditional Dances – Open-Air Theatre, 1969. Courtesy of Malie Letrange.

  • Caligula, NIRT Theatre Workshop – Persepolis, 1974 Courtesy of Mehdi Khonsari

    Caligula, Albert Camus (playwright), Arby Ovanessian (director), NIRT Theatre Workshop – Persepolis, 1974
    Courtesy of Mehdi Khonsari

  • 2.-Stockhausen-37-copy

    Mantra, Karlheinz Stockhausen,1972. Courtesy of Stockhausen Foundation for Music, Kürten

  • Shiraz poster2_p40

    Posters for Festival of Arts, Shiraz – Persepolis (1967-1977) designed by Ghobad Shiva.

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Past Event


This event was on Thurs 28 May, 7pm

Curator Vali Mahlouji leads a conversation exploring the key themes of performance, ritual, censorship and East-West politics that arise when considering the Shiraz-Persepolis Festival of Arts. The discussion reflects upon the contemporary audience’s response to the pioneering Festival, which presents a universal cross-section of performing arts, from vanguards of Western avant-garde culture to traditional African musicians. The panel also addresses the political implications of making the documentation accessible through the archive display. Mahlouji is joined by Richard Gough, Artistic Director of the Centre for Performance Research (CPR), Professor of Performance Research at Falmouth University and Emeritus Professor of Aberystwyth University.

This event is the first in a series prompted by the current Archive Gallery exhibition, A UTOPIAN STAGE: The Shiraz-Persepolis Festival of the Arts.