TEHRAN-The Playwright’s Night ceremony, held at the Shahnaz Hall of the Iranian Artists Forum, celebrated the contributions of iconic Iranian playwrights.

The event also marked the birthday of Bahram Beyzai and commemorated the anniversary of Akbar Radi’s passing, two giants of Iranian drama. 

During the session, a segment of Bahram Beyzai’s 2019 play “Dash Akol: As Narrated by Marjan” was read by Afshin Hashemi.

Beyzai, 85, is an Iranian playwright, theatre director, screenwriter, film editor, and master of Persian letters, arts, and Iranian studies.

Before the outset of his cinematic career in 1970, he was a leading playwright (as well as theater historian), so much so that he is often considered the greatest playwright of the Persian language.

In 1968, Beyzai was one of the nine founders of the Iranian Writers' Guild, a highly controversial organization in the face of censorship. In 1969, he was invited to teach at the Theater Department of the College of Fine Arts at the University of Tehran. He chaired this department from 1972 to 1979. With his readership, many prominent authors and artists started teaching at the department and created the most fruitful period in the history of that department.

Some of his plays, such as his masterpiece “Death of Yazdgerd,” have been translated into numerous languages and performed worldwide. “Death of Yazdgerd” has been performed in Iran, France, England, India, and the U.S., among other countries, and was made into a film of the same name by Beyzai in 1981. 

Moreover, in memory of Akbar Radi (1939-2007), excerpts from his play “Slowly with the Red Rose” were staged. 

Radi completed his studies in social sciences at the University of Tehran. The playwright’s works have been compared with those of Anton Chekhov and Henrik Ibsen.

A part of the ceremony was dedicated to honoring playwright and translator Andranik Khechumyan. Colleagues and collaborators praised his dedication to the craft.

Khechumyan’s name is synonymous with groundbreaking theatrical work in Iran. He is often referred to as a bridge between the Armenian and Iranian theatrical traditions.

Behzad Sedighi, the former chairman of the Playwrights' Association, was another honoree in this event. Rahim Rashidi Tabar, Hadi Hoori, Hamid Dashti, Shokoufeh Arvin, Maryam Yasinzadeh, and Reza Ashofteh were also recognized as other collaborators of the Playwrights' Association.

Writers Hossein Kiani and Nader Borhani Marand were honored at the ceremony as well. The final part of the program was dedicated to awarding the special medal of the Playwrights' Association to master writer Khosrow Hakim Rabat.

SS/