Bahram Beyzaei                 

A brief biography

1938 -Born in Tehran, Iran on December 26.
1955 -Experiments with 8mm film-making and writing plays while in high school.
1959 -Writes Ejdehak and Arash (two narratives).
1959 -Attends courses at Tehran University's Faculty of Letters; writes film criticism while studying cinema and theatre.
1960-62 -Discovers Iranian Passion Play (Tazieh) as a live non-Western theatrical form with great capacity to depict modern subjects; studies the theatre of the Far East.
1960-62 -Works with young groups in several theatrical productions; as an assistant director, stage manager, and stage designer.
1960-62 -Publishes his first play, Scarecrows by Night.
1963 -Publishes Three Puppet Plays, for live actors (frequently staged).
1963 -Writes Pahlavan Akbar Dies, a play (frequently staged).
1964 -Writes The Eighth Voyage of Sinbad, a play never staged in his homeland, but published in French (Paris 1990); Performed in German in Switzerland (1989); Performed in English in Toronto (1992).
1964 - Publishes The Japanese Theatre (research).
1965 - Sunset in a Strange Land and The Story of Hidden Moon (two of the Three Puppet Plays) are performed by the National Theatre Group in Paris (Theatre de la Ville- Sarah Bernhardt) as official programme of Theatre des Nations.
1965 -Publishes Theatre in Iran (research).
1966 -Publishes The Journalistic World of Mr. Asari (frequently staged) and The Snake King (staged many times but later banned).
1966 -Debut as stage director with Dolls (first of the Three Puppet Plays). This play later published in U.S.A. (1989).
1967 -Writes and directs two one-act plays, Heritage and The Feast (both frequently staged).
1967 -Publishes Ejdehak.
1967 -Writes The Four Boxes (staged many times but also frequently banned). Later published in English (U.S.A. 1989). Performed in Toronto (1991); in U.S.A. (1992-93).
1968 -Writes The Court of Balkh (a play). Published but not staged. Co-founded the Iranian Writers' Centre.
1969 -Writes The Lost Ones (a play). Published but not staged.
1969 -Publishes Theatre in China (research).
1969 -Joins Tehran University's Faculty of Fine Arts (Department of Drama) as a guest lecturer.
1969 -Directs The Snake King for the stage, a great experimental success, using native Iranian theatrical forms to express new ideas.
1970 -Writes The Stormy Way of Farman, Son of Farman, Through Darkness (a play, never performed) and The Truth And The Wise Man (a narrative).
1970 -First film-directing experience, Uncle Mustache.
1971 -Writes Downpour and The Lone Ayyar (screenplays).
1972 -Writes The Journey and The Stranger and The Fog (screenplays).
1973 -Becomes full-time professor and Head of Department of Theatre Arts (Tehran University, Faculty of Fine Arts).
1975 -Writes The Truth about Leyla, Daughter of Edris and The Ballad of Tara (screenplays).
1976 -Writes The Antelope, The Indigent, The Clown And Others and The Crow (screenplays).
1976 -Writes Landscape (screenplay).
1977 -Writes Lamentation (a play). This play has never been published or performed in Iran; but it has been published in Stockholm, Paris and Los Angeles.
1977 -Writes Arash.
1978 -Writes Graffiti (a play, banned).
1979 -Writes and directs Death of Yazdgerd (a play). This play has frequently been staged, including English performances in Toronto (1994) and German performances in Frankfurt (1994).
1979 -Writes Tales of Shroud-Clad Mir (screenplay).
1980 -Writes Night of the Sable, The Occupation and Facing Mirrors (screenplays).
1980 -Edits filmed version of The Indigent (directed by Varuzh Karim-Masihi).
1981 -Ejected from Tehran University, because of his parents' religion.
1981 -Writes A Supporting Actor's Memoirs (a play, never permitted to be staged).
1981 -Edits Children of The South: Search 2 (a film directed by Amir Naderi).
1982 -Writes The Day It Happened, The Incredible Story and Earth (screenplays); Writes Victory Proclamation of Kalat (a play, never permitted to be performed).
1984 -Writes The Old Dossier of Pirabad, Ayyar Nameh and The Secret History of the King Abskun (screenplays).
1984 -Edits The Runner (a film directed by Amir Naderi).
1984 -Writes The Shoes of Mubarak.
1985 -Writes Bashu, The Little Stranger, Castle Kulak and Perhaps Some other Time (screenplays); Writes The Harem (a play, never permitted to be staged).
1986 -Writes The Scroll of Sheikh Sharzin; Gilgamesh; A New Introduction to the Shah-nameh and The Day Passes (screenplays).
1987 -Writes The Bamboo Curtain.
1988 -Writes The War-Chronicles of the Slaves (a satirical play).
1988 -Writes Mr. Lear and A Lost Page from the Identification Papers of A Future Citizen (both screenplays).
1988 -Maybe Some Other Time (screenplay) is made.
1989 -Writes Journey Into the Night and The Travelers (screenplays).
1990 -Writes Film and Film (screenplay).
1992 -Writes Who Killed The Boss? (screenplay).
1992 -Writes Dogkilling (screenplay).
1992 -Writes Juana, Or a Letter To No One (screenplay).
1993 -Writes Magi's Graves (a short screenplay).
1993 -Writes The Passion of Siavash (stage and screenplay).
1994 -Writes Songs of Mother Arsu (screenplay).
1994 -Writes Hat Without A Head (screenplay).
1995 -Writes The Fateful Day (screenplay), directed by Shahram Assadi.
1996 -Edits Minoo Watch Tower (screenplay), directed by Ebrahim Hatamikia.
1996 -Fifth Season (screenplay) is made, directed by Rafi Pitts.
1999 -Travelers (screenplay) is made.
1999 -A group of work consisting of seven episodes, Kish Stories is made.
2001 -Writes and directs Killing Mad Dogs (screenplay).

Death of Yazdgerd

Was first staged from September 23 to November 11, 1979
at the Chahar-su Hall of the Theatre-e-Shahr of Tehran with the following cast:

Sussan TaslimiThe Woman

Mehdi HashemiThe Miller

Yasaman AramiThe Girl

Amin TarokhThe Commander

Mahmoud BehruzianThe Mubad

Karim AkbariThe Captain

Ya'gub ShakouriThe Soldier


Bahram Beyzaei
Director & Designer

Iraj RaminfarArt Director

Farhang MoayyeriMakeup

Aziz Sa'atiPhotography



For more info about Bahram Beyzaei, visit bahrambeyzaie.com and the IMDB.

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