TEHRAN-Veteran Iranian stage and cinema director Ali Rafiei is set to hold a series of educational theater workshops across Iran.

Starting from September 10, the first workshop will be held in Kashan, Isfahan Province, for 10 days, Mehr reported.

Attending the nationwide workshops is free for enthusiasts. The talented participants in each city will be selected to take part in the Tehran workshop. If everything goes as planned, the outcome of the workshop will be a play.

Rafiei, 85, was born in Isfahan. He holds a masters’ degree in sociology and a Ph.D. in theater from Sorbonne University in France.

He started stage direction and acting in France. In early 1970s, he returned to Iran to be dean of Dramatic Arts Faculty while teaching theater at the Fine Arts Faculty of the University of Tehran.

He is the director of the acclaimed plays “Fox Hunting”, “It Does Not Snow in Egypt”, “Crime and Punishment”, “Blood Wedding”, “The Maids”, “Antigone”, “Memory of Sand Years”, “Romeo and Juliet”, “Shazde Ehtejab”, “Kitchen”, and “Nightmares and Memories of a Bath Attendant about the Life and Murder of Amir Kabir”.

“Nightmares and Memories of a Bath Attendant about the Life and Murder of Amir Kabir” was selected as the best play of the year in 2016 by Iran’s Critic and Theatrical Writers Society of the Theater Forum.

The play, which is about the life story of Mirza Taqi Khan Amir Kabir, the reformist prime minister of Qajar king Nasser ad-Din Shah, was well received by critics and theater goers.

In addition to a fruitful career in theater, Rafiei is also the director of two movies, “The Fish Fall in Love” (2006) and “Mr. Yusef” (2011).

Rafiei has cooperated with noted actors and introduced new talents during his career including Reza Kianian, Golab Adineh, Siamak Safari, Hassan Majouni, Soheila Razavi, Roya Taymourian, Maryam Saadat, Mehdrdad Ziaei, Houman Barghnavard and Setareh Eskandari. Paying attention to lighting and set design are among characteristics of his works.

The location and time of Rafiei’s next workshops after Kashan will be announced later.

SS/SAB