Theater on Urmia Lake

The second edition of Urmia Lake Revitalization Festival, held in Tabriz City Theater Hall, in East Azarbaijan Province, wrapped up on February 1.

The event covered different sections on photography, movies, poetry, painting, caricature, calligraphy; however, this year’s edition added theater and screenwriting to the program.

“Local theater artists submitted 20 works in a short time after the call was issued, which proved that theater is a driving force for creativity,” said Ahmad Rajab Pour, event secretary. 

Submissions were from Tabriz, Bonab, Marand and Ahar cities, among which the jury selected 12 works for the 3-day event, ISNA reported.

The festival aimed to highlight the role and position of art and artisans in introducing the environmental disaster enveloping Urmia Lake, to motivate artists to propose innovative problem-solving methods, and to strengthen and motivate national capabilities and public responsibility in respect to the environmental crisis.

‘Dam’ (Moment) by Naqi Hayaei, ‘Oou ba shomast’ (He is With You) by Amin Haji Akbari, ‘Samfoni-e ashkhay-e Narikhteh’ (Symphony of Unshed Tears) by Mohammad Hossein Davoudi, and ‘Avay-e Baran’ (Sound of Rain) by Jahangir Chalaki were among the shows staged, focusing on the current environmental situation of the lake and the losses entailed.

All the works were brief, not more than 10 to 20 minutes.

The winners will be honored and awarded at the closing ceremony today (Thursday).

The lake is between the provinces of East Azarbaijan and West Azarbaijan in Iran

It’s desiccation is attributed to climate change and the long dry spell due to lack of rainfall, drought, unrestrained damming and excessive water use, especially in the agriculture sector. However, thanks to the restoration projects and international help, the efforts to revive Lake Urmia are slowly paying back.

The first edition of the festival was held in Tabriz in October 2015.