Mutual Deception and Disguise

Abstract

The Iranian theatre practitioner is always already part of an ongoing investigation, and they have to negotiate different notions of deception. They constantly undertake strategies to deceive and distract censors from their art while revealing it to their audience. To do so they bargain various components of their work with the censorship authorities. On the other side of the table, the censorship regulations for guiding the authorities are vague. One can best describe the censorship system as multiple layers of authority, each in fear of the other. Those who have to decide on a piece before it goes on stage can never be certain if they would face consequences from higher authorities. Therefore, much of what goes on in negotiations between the artist(s) and her censor is improvisatory, face to face, and on the spot. It is in part both the imagination of the artists and the censors that finally settle on a version of the performance. Censorship can be understood as a complex process that does not necessarily put an end to that which it is trying to regulate. This article theorizes censorship as a negotiation between the artist and her censor. It studies different strategies that artists utilize for the survival of their work such as creating a coding and decoding system in their art. It shows how these strategies contributed to the creation of unique, complex, and fluid works of art.