The awards were established by the Samandarian Theater Academy in 2013 one year after the death of the veteran theater teacher and director Hamid Samandarian. The academy was founded by his son, Kaveh, and his widow, Homa Rusta who also died in 2015.
The San Francisco-based director/writer Beizai could not attend the awards ceremony held at Tehran’s Iranshahr Theater Complex so his colleague Hamid Amjad received the award in his behalf from graphic designer Ebrahim Haqiqi.
“I don’t know whether Hamid Samandarian would praise or reproach you for the kindness to me if he were alive, or Homa would be pleased or not over the compassion for me, if she were alive,” Beizai wrote in a message that was read by Amjad onstage.
The veteran dramatist and theater teacher Charmshir received his award from Hossein Atefi. In his acceptance speech, he referred to Samandarian and Rusta as his teachers and thanked the academy for the award.
Director Purazari accepted his award from Mehdi Shafiei, the director the Dramatic Arts Center who praised him for his concern about the promising newcomers to theater.
The ceremony went on with a screening of “The Master and Pupils”, a documentary by Mohammad-Ali Sajjadi about Samandarian’s behavior toward his students.
A troupe led by director Mahmudreza Rahimi also performed parts of “The Caucasian Chalk Circle”, Bertolt Brecht’s play that had been translated and staged by Samandarian in Iran.
Source: Tehran Times