Shamsi Fazlollahi prefers to concentrate more on her work and acting career, as well as the professional changes she has gone through all these years, than be honored for excellence in theater.

The veteran playwright and actress is a gem in Iranian theater, cinema, television and radio. She has helped form notable theater groups in a professional career that dates back to the 1950s. She takes us back to those years in the following interview:

What attracted you to theater?

I was born in 1941 and began my acting career in theater in 1957. I attended theater school during which I came to know Jaleh Olov and Fakhri Khorvash. My first experience as an actress was in a play called The Trial of Mary Dogan. It went on stage at the Tehran Theater. My first professional acting was in a movie called The Vagrant by Nosratollah Vahdat. I also did voice overs for many foreign movies and animations.

Tell us about your cooperation with the Anahita theater group. How did you join it?

Director Jafar Vali introduced me to the Anahita theater group. The idea for the group was to follow the Stanislavski’s system. Stanislavski's system is a systematic approach to training actors that the Russian theater practitioner Konstantin Stanislavski developed in the first half of the 20th century. The problem is, we were an old fashioned theater group. So we never followed Stanislavski’s system.

When did you decide to work in radio?

I acted in a play called A Streetcar Named Desire. It is a 1947 play written by American playwright Tennessee Williams that received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1948. After that, the Culture Ministry asked me to work for them in radio. I was supposed to do voice overs for movies handpicked by the ministry. It never happened. Instead, I began working in the national radio station until I got married in 1964.

You also did work with Arbi Avanesian. Tell us more about that.

Avanesian did have plans to organize a theater workshop. He asked me to be part of his team. Three weeks later Bahman Mofid did join the workshop. I used to work with him in radio.

You did have some experiences with Bahman Mofid and Sohrab Sepehri. How was it?

It was a turning point in my career. They were both my friends. I once asked Sepehri why he had no signature on his paintings. He asked me the same question. I said I was not after fame. He told me to look at the carpet under my feet. He then asked what the name of the carpet weaver was. I didn’t know. He said, “This beautiful carpet is further proof that it is the art that can last forever not the artist.”

I argued that according to his words, the names Hafez and Sa’adi shouldn’t have lasted this long either. I said “you need to sign your paintings, otherwise someone else will copy them and put his name there.” He agreed and said would think about it.

شمسی فضل الهی

When did Abbas Nalbadian join your theater group?

He first joined our workshop. Avanesian had directed Nalbandian’s play and had won prizes at the Art Festival. This encouraged him to join the workshop as manager. Later, he organized a painting exhibition in honor of Avanesian.

You also acted in Nalbandian’s play. How was the experience?

The play was called The Table. He himself directed it. He was a good writer but not as good as a director like Avanesian.

Apart from producing plays, what else did you do at the workshop?

We organized acting classes using Italian instructors. We put a lot of time and effort on it. It was for those who had already attended an acting school and wanted to improve their skills. I also took part in those classes because I needed to improve my acting skills and learn the craft in a much more professional way.

Why did you leave the theater workshop?

I expected more from the workshop. They paid little to the players, and these people had to make ends meet. This annoyed me a lot. The budget for our plays was not up to the mark either. We should never allow the theater industry to be treated like this. Despite the fact that all the actors and actresses were working hard, they were being treated unfairly. No one valued their hard work. This made me leave the workshop.

Once Peter Brooke came to Iran to direct a play. He asked for me. I did the audition and he chose me for a role. I thought things would be different this time. I was wrong. He had spent a lot of money to be in Iran but in the end got nothing. We rehearsed for two months and since nothing happened I did quit. Mahmoud Dolatabadi and Parviz Fannizadeh had done the same thing earlier.

Many ask me why I have aged so quickly. I blame hard work. As an actress, sometimes you cannot sleep at nights. The situation is worse for directors. As a radio director I know how hard it is to direct a film or a play. Nowadays I only like to act because there are many roles for me out there. By applying stage makeup to look old, we will go nowhere.

Before the revolution you used the stage name Shahrzad. Why did you choose this name, particularly seeing that it created a lot of problems for you?

My family used to call me Shahrzad. My mother insisted I use the same name on the stage. Later a number of other women adopted the same name in cinema. This created a lot of confusion in our resumes. For instance, I never acted in the movie Gheysar, but the press mentioned my name in the titles. Before the revolution I only acted in six films. That’s all really.

You did write several plays. What happened to them?

One of my plays was supposed to go on stage but never got off the ground. I had seen some bad directors on the stage and never wanted to repeat the same mistake. So I never tried to direct my own dramas. Directing is not same as writing a script. I had another script about the assassination of a woman that also never got off the ground.

Was this because of politics? 

It was not a political drama. I only used the premise to push the story line forward. Still, it was censored and banned. In 1975, however, I did write a new drama that was directed by Bahman Farasi. I also acted in it. It was about a woman that was late to a house party. It was broadcast on TV during the Nowrouz holiday season, the Iranian New Year. It was a profound experience for me.

Any plan to publish your scripts?

I like to publish my last play. Many colleagues are encouraging me to do it. I spent a lot of time and effort on its dialog. It was worth my while.

Have you acted in any major play?

I acted in two of Akbar Zanjanpour’s plays by Anton Pavlovich Chekhov. He was a Russian playwright and short story writer, who is considered to be among the greatest writers of short fiction in history. I also played for two years in Les Miserables, a French historical novel by Victor Hugo. I played eight different roles in it.

You were supposed to be honored for excellence in theater. What happened?

A friend of mine called me and said I was going to be honored for excellence in theater at Fajr International Theater Festival. The problem is, no theater official called me to break the news. Many people ask me why I’m no longer acting. They complain I’m not showing any interest in theater. I’m delighted to see that there are audiences out there who still want to see me perform on the stage. I’m now going through a new phase in my career. I don’t like to be honored for excellence in theater. It’s not that important to me. Instead, I very much like to work. When I’m working hard on a new play, I don’t like to see any hurdles in my way.

Translation by Bobby Naderi