JNN 18 Dec 2010 : The Ashuraopera puppet show, the renowned Iranian playwright and theater director Behrouz Gharibpour, is on stage at Tehran’s Ferdowsi Hall.

TheAshurapuppet show — which went on stage on Dec. 12 and will continue until Jan. 2, 2011 — is a blend of music, puppetry, poetry and Persian passion play (Tazieh).

“We can’t perform the opera at any hall. It should be staged at a hall with certain specifications,” Gharibpour said.

The Iranian playwright pointed out that France’s Charleville-Mézières Puppet Theater Festival has also invited Gharibpour to stage his opera puppet show Ashura at the event, which will be held from September 16 to 25 in 2011.

He also explained that people in France are familiar with traditional Persian performances and Tazieh.

Gharibpour recently attended the Tbilisi Festival of Theater, in Georgia, with his puppet show Rostam and Sohrab.

He is considered one of the pioneers of traditional Persian puppet theatre, and known for his extensive research on Qajar-era puppetry.