Biography of Behrouz Gharibpour

I was born in Sanandaj, September, 1950. I grew up in a cultural family; my maternal family was from the clergies of Kordestan. My mother's ancestor immigrated from Noudasheh (Uraman) to Kordestan. Haj Mamousta (master) Noudashe'i had a son called "Mohammad" who passed religious degrees and got famous to Sheikh Mohammad Molana. As all of the high-level scholars of Kordestan, he could pass 12 scientific branches and his title was "12 sciences". It is necessary to mention to his privilege and title; because Sheikh Mohammad Molana's grandchildren have worked on physics, mathematics, poetry and arts; my brothers (Behzad and Kianoush) and I worked in the field of art, children of my aunt (Dr. Arsalan Shadman) great contemporary mathematician, (Yahya Mazhari) physics and (Osman Ahmadi) Kurdish poetry.

My paternal family has been landlord and supervisor, but my grandfather was interested in poetry and literature in addition to agriculture. He always had sessions of reading Shahnameh and Naqqali (reading stories).

It is interesting to mention that both of my grandfathers were interested in the late Seyed Ali-Asghar Kordestani, the greatest singer of Kordestan. The singer was always in their ceremonies.

My interest in art is rooted in my family. One of my uncles (Hassan Gharibpour) was talented in all fields of art. He was a good painter and calligrapher and sometimes plays violin. He was so busy that he could not continue his interests.

My father was not artist, but his religious belief was admirable. My interest in Gnostic is my father's heritage.

My mother had a good memory. She had many poetries and myths in her mind. She made me fascinated with Kordish stories and myths. In spite of her little literacy, my mother was the first one who listened to my stories and she was the first one who encouraged me in this regard. Once, she got upset by hearing one of my sorrowful stories and cried. Tears of my mother attracted me to the power of words and sentences. From that time, I started writing short stories by self-confidence.

When I was in high school, I did not like to write cliché compositions. I asked my teacher to write a real story instead of the cliché subjects. Although my teacher confessed that he did not know what story is, he allowed me to read my first official story in the class. My classmates encouraged me and it was caused me to write story instead of composition. I remember that I could not get full grade on the ultimate examination of the last year of high school. They said that it is an unusual style of writing. My literature teacher (Aziz Amini Abyaneh) encouraged me to continue my way; I worked on theater parallel with story writing. I loved stage then I played role in comic and Takht-e Hozi plays of high school. I had made a three-member group entitled "3 Keshmesh (Raisins)" and it could succeed considerably in the small city of Sanandaj.

During 1966-1967, a political movement was established under the supervision of artistic activities that had no special theory. It was more popular among the aware and literate teachers, and the main character of the movement was tendency toward conceptual plays. Khalil Rashidian encouraged me to play and direct the long poetry of "Archer Arash" by Siavash Kasraei, in 1967. I had designed a realist decoration. Inspired by the first paragraph of the play: "It is snowing, on the stone, on the old mountain…. I had shown the primary way of snowing. After opening the curtain, Uncle Norouz (I had this role) was telling story for the children in his cottage and it was snowing on the roof and around the rural cottage. The astonished audiences were silent during the play and their nonstop claps made me understand the presence of the population. I was also encouraged by the cultural lovers of Sanandaj and I did not work on low-level plays. And then I started working with the head of Shahab theater group of Kordestan including; playing and directing "Angle" by Saedi, "In Presence of Wind" by Beizaei, and "Renter" by Parviz Sayad.

My interests in theater increased deeply day by day and I liked to continue theater. My father did not like me to study theater. He shouted that the grandson of Sheikh Mohammad Molana should not become an actor. Then I was forced to earn money and continue my education. At last, in 1970, I began theater in the Fine Arts Faculty. From that time, my theater life got more serious. I could take scholarship and use Tehran University Dormitory and I did not have financial troubles. Although I was known in the university, I was not attracted in any artistic activity in Tehran, by 1973, because it was important for me to study and research. I continued research on traditional puppet theater.

In 1970 and 1974, I invited different groups of Kheimeh Shab Bazi to the university and Kheimeh Shab Bazi found a special status. In 1973, as the actor of the first puppet theater group, I entered the theater group of the Institute for the Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults (IIDCYA) directed by Oscar Battec, Czechoslovakian puppetry director. This event changed my theater life; one of the main branches of my career is writing and directing Puppet Theater.

In 1974, I was graduated of Fine Arts Faculty in theater and I received scholarship of American university. But I could not use it, because I refused to attend the lecture in front of Shah. Not only I did not use the scholarship, but also they imposed me a hard military service. I could know Iran much better under the hard conditions and touched all parts of Iran from the desert of Ali-Abad of Isfahan to heights of Kazeroun and Gilan-e Gharb and Kordestan. I searched my next ideas in hot and cold weather, wind and storm.

In 1977, I entered the school of brilliant talents as a teacher. I got scholarship from the Cultural Attaché of the Italian Embassy and went to Italy. I entered the Academy of Dramatic Arts of Rome. Italy got involved with the political fighting coincidence with Iran's revolution. The permanent strikes were led to closing the universities. Cinema and theater halls and cine-clubs were safe during the social riots and they were gradually closed. Then my real school was cinema and theater halls which filled most of my time. 

I got acquaintance with a professor of philosophy from Rome University; Dr. Lanfranco di Mario helped me know the political, social and philosophical atmosphere of Italy, especially the aesthetic theory of an Italian philosopher. I could translate the play of “Travel of Green in Green” into Italian language, by his cooperation. 

The Islamic Revolution made me leave every thing and come back to Iran. Master Di Mario helped me make my decision. In spite of his interest in me, he encouraged me not to be in the corner in the great social experience of my country. I came back to Iran, in 1979. I started working as an active author and director in the City Theater, television and the Institute for the Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults (IIDCYA).

After I performed the play of “Kouroghlooye Chenli Bel”, it paved the way that I make a fixed theater hall. I managed the puppet theater center of IIDCYA about 9 years (1981-1990). I worked in IIDCYA in different positions: head of training center of theater and Puppet Theater, head of center of Puppet Theater, manager of Isfahan region (including the Markazi, Yazd, Chahar-Mahal o Bakhtiari and Isfahan provinces), administrative and financial deputy and advisor of the managing director.

In 1990, I was invited by the Tehran’s Mayor and started working as the cultural consultant of Tehran Municipality. The fruit of my cooperation was changing the great slaughter house of Tehran to Bahman Cultural Center and expanding the cultural centers of Tehran city. It was a good opportunity for me to present my ideas after a long time.

In 1992, simultaneously I continued my career as the managing director of Bahman Cultural Center. I transformed Shams Beer Factory. I managed some projects.

In 1974, I resigned due to some political pressures, but I remained as the member of the board of directors in Bahman Cultural Center. I worked day and night in Bahman Cultural Center, and it made me far from artistic activities. But I began by performing the play of "Les Miserables" and I came back to the theater stage.

After the heavy social responsibility, I worked on a long play by cooperation of 60 actors, 100 artist and non-artist colleagues, for one year and half.

And then, one of the main branches of my career was changing the old buildings to cultural places and the most important center was shifting the Iran-Shahr Garrison to the Iranian Artists' Forum (IAF); one of the main cultural centers of Iran. From the renovation of the building, I have been the managing director of IAF to the present (God just knows how long does it last!). I can mention to other projects including; creating a sample civil area and renovation of the abandoned building which was turned into the place of my civil management, entitled mayor of Green Area. Renovation of the largest building of Reza Shah era – last palace of Shahrbani – management of planning and performing the diplomatic Club of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Printing House of Ministry of Foreign Affairs and some other small and large projects are the result of my profession in this regard.

To perform the Puppet Opera of Rostam and Sohrab continuously, I changed the decoration workshop of Vahdat Hall into the special hall of string puppet show, by support of Roudaki art and cultural foundation. As ever, I was attacked by those who do not work if it is not to their benefit.