Foreign figures to attend Iranian children’s theater festival

TEHRAN,Sept.16(MNA) -- Two theatrical figures from South Africa and Germany have been invited to attend the 19th International Theater Festival for Children and Young Adults that will open in October in Hamedan Province. ASSITEJ President Yvette Hardie, a South African theater director and writer, as well as Gordon Vajen, artistic director of Theaterhaus in Frankfurt are expected to take part in the international event, secretary of the festival Shahram Karami told the Persian Service of MNA on Saturday. ASSITEJ is the international organization of Theatre for Children and Young People (Association International du Theatre pour l’Enfance et la Jeunesse). The organization is affiliated with UNESCO and consists of a network of thousands of theatres, organizations and individuals in about 80 member countries. Gordon Vajen, who was the guest of honor in the 17th edition of the festival, will also be attending the festival with the intent of signing an agreement with the organizers to help boost bilateral theatrical cooperation, he added. In addition, Hardie is due to attend the festival to become more familiar with the children’s theater of the country. Karami also said that several workshops have been arranged on the side section of the festival, which will be running from October 7 to 13 in Hamedan and five other cities in the province.