Production Complexity of the Iranian Performing Arts

Abstract

Theater is referred to as a cultural product which plays a major part in the cultural paradigm of civilized societies. Public theater is a type of performing arts in which the production receives financial support from the government. Therefore, the public theater production follows a complex trend controlled by a particular socio-economic system. The aims of this study are to identify interactions among financial and economic factors in the Iranian public theater and to find the possible threats and suggest effective policies in order to improve the position of the Iranian theater. For this purpose, the authors use system dynamics methodology to build a model that can explain or mimic the system. They present their analysis in accordance with principles of microeconomics. The analysis is conducted in three acts, namely production, distribution, and consumption. Findings reveal that the position of the Iranian public theater is undesired due to accumulated workforce, lack of distribution networks, and underconsumption. Finally, policies are suggested to overcome the shortcomings.