Iranians arrested over performance of Shakespeare play
Director and theatre manager were detained by police for putting on A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Two people have been arrested in Iran for their involvement in a production of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Director Maryam Kazemi and venue manager Saeed Asadi were detained on the orders of the judiciary, a senior official told the ISNA news agency.
The popular play had already been showing for seven nights at City Theatre, one of Tehran’s most famous venues and only had one night left to run when the pair were arrested, according to AFP.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The two were granted bail of £18,400 each and are expected to be released later today.
A trailer of the performance shared on social media showed female actors dancing with men, an illegal act under the Islamic Republic’s strict rules, the Associated Press reports.
The main objections to the performance were about the “type of music played” and the actors’ “movements” in the trailer, said Shahram Karami, of the ministry of culture and Islamic guidance.
“The issue was with the trailer they released and not the play’s content,” he added.
Religious hardliners in the country have little tolerance for music, dance or theatre from the West.
Earlier this year, a teenage girl was arrested after she posted a clip of herself dancing on Instagram, and in 2014 a group of young people were detained for appearing in a video dancing to Pharrell Williams' song Happy.
Arash Sobhani, leader singer of the Iranian underground rock group Kiosk, told BBC Persian that the authorities attempts to crackdown on “un-Islamic” behaviour were not working.
“They banned our music, broke our guitars, attacked our parties and stopped our concerts,” he said. “But did we stop? No!”
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
A cool Canadian city break in Toronto
The Week Recommends With its world class galleries, restaurants and nearby hiking trails, Toronto makes a great alternative to New York
-
Today's Big Question Failed asylum seekers could be removed to Balkan nations under new government plans
-
The history of animal metaphors in propaganda
The Explainer Rats, snakes and cockroaches among the imagery used to dehumanise political enemies and minority groups
-
What happens if tensions between India and Pakistan boil over?
TODAY'S BIG QUESTION As the two nuclear-armed neighbors rattle their sabers in the wake of a terrorist attack on the contested Kashmir region, experts worry that the worst might be yet to come
-
Why Russia removed the Taliban's terrorist designation
The Explainer Russia had designated the Taliban as a terrorist group over 20 years ago
-
Inside the Israel-Turkey geopolitical dance across Syria
THE EXPLAINER As Syria struggles in the wake of the Assad regime's collapse, its neighbors are carefully coordinating to avoid potential military confrontations
-
'Like a sound from hell': Serbia and sonic weapons
The Explainer Half a million people sign petition alleging Serbian police used an illegal 'sound cannon' to disrupt anti-government protests
-
The arrest of the Philippines' former president leaves the country's drug war in disarray
In the Spotlight Rodrigo Duterte was arrested by the ICC earlier this month
-
Ukrainian election: who could replace Zelenskyy?
The Explainer Donald Trump's 'dictator' jibe raises pressure on Ukraine to the polls while the country is under martial law
-
Why Serbian protesters set off smoke bombs in parliament
THE EXPLAINER Ongoing anti-corruption protests erupted into full view this week as Serbian protesters threw the country's legislature into chaos
-
Who is the Hat Man? 'Shadow people' and sleep paralysis
In Depth 'Sleep demons' have plagued our dreams throughout the centuries, but the explanation could be medical