TEHRAN – The 35th Fajr International Theater Festival opened at Tehran’s theaters last night with tributes to the victims of the Plasco Building collapse.

Several troupes went on stage for a moment’s silence for the firefighters and those people killed under the rubble after the commercial building collapsed on Thursday following a raging fire.

In a statement published on Friday, the organizers also offered their condolence on the death of the firefighters.

Twenty troupes from around the world will go on stage in the various sections of the festival, which will run until January 31.

The troupes are from 12 countries, including Spain, France, Iraq, Turkey, Georgia, Poland, Netherlands, Bulgaria and Japan.

Ten foreign groups along with 19 troupes from Iran are competing in the official section.

Prominent Polish director Jerzy Zon will stage “Choir of the Orphans” while Veselka Kuncheva from Bulgaria plans will perform “I, Sisyphus”.

In addition, “You’re Not a Fish After All” by Mihran Tomasyan from Turkey and “Psychosis” by Maka Natsvlishvili from Georgia will go on stage.

A number of Iranian and Dutch thespians is also scheduled to jointly perform “Reconsider Your Image of Me” by Iranian director Arvand Dashtaray.

The highlights of the Iranian plays are “Immortality” by Nima Dehqan, “Cloudy House” by Siamak Ehsai and Hamid Purazari, “Death Angel” by Masud Rayegan and “The Tenant” by Setareh Aminian.

Spanish theater troupe Senor Serrano led by Alex Serrano will stage “Birdie” while Swiss troupe Trickster-p led by directors Cristina Galbiati and Ilija Luginbuhl is participating in the event with “Twilight”.

The organizer plan to hold different workshops by Iranian and foreign theater experts and several exhibitions on the sidelines of the festival.

ABU/YAW