“The Life of Galileo” read in memory of Hamid Samandarian

TEHRAN,Aug.29(MNA) -- An all-female cast performed a reading of Bertolt Brecht’s “The Life of Galileo” in memory of Hamid Samandarian on Saturday at the Qods Theater in Qom, home to Iran’s most important Islamic seminary. The reading, which was performed based on a translation by Abdorrahim Ahmadi, lasted for four hours. The members of the cast included Zeinab Behbahani, Zakieh Behbahani, Hedyeh Heidari, Masumeh Zare’, Fatemeh Soleimani and Hamideh Amuii. They observed a moment of silence for the Iranian stage director and playwright Samandarian, who passed away at the age of 81 in July 12 this year. Once, Samandarian said his wish was to stage “The Life of Galileo” as his artistic will and testament, but his wish remained unrealized. He was a teacher of several generations of Iranian directors, thespians and dramatists who are currently among the big names in Iranian theater and cinema.