TEHRAN -- The Sangelaj Theater was registered on Iran’s National Heritage List during a ceremony commemorating the hall’s 43rd year of establishment on Monday.

A group of enthusiastic theatrical figures and artists attended the ceremony and expressed great pleasure and excitement.
Manager of the hall Atabak Naderi gave the opening speech and expressed his happiness on resuming productions again. He said, “Sangelaj is a priceless antique which bears a precious legacy and we must learn how to transfer this heritage to the next generation.
“This celebration was organized to show that Sangelaj is still alive and well. Each of its bricks should be respected since the building itself has absorbed a significant amount of Iranian history and that our national theater was formed here,” he remarked.
Actor Jafar Vali was the next and talked about his memoirs of the venue, “It was 32 years ago when I last acted on this stage. We lived here on this stage for years and staged works here by the best playwrights of the theater such as Bahram Beizaii, Akbar Radi and Gholamhossein Saedi.”
He addressed the participants and continued, “All of you who are here love the theater, and I hope you will all understand this great feeling of joy someday and if you feel it, you will understand the theater’s value as well. May this light continue to burn and help preserve its great name forever.”
Actor Dariush Moaddabian was next who gave a short review on the history of Sangelaj Hall and said, “This place was inaugurated in September 1965 and was named “25th Shahrivar Theater”. It was later changed into Sangelaj Theater following the Islamic Revolution.
“Its first period was from 1965 to 1972 during which only national plays were staged and foreign works were forbidden. The second era was from 1972 to 1978 during which the first foreign work was staged. Its third period was from 1978 to the present time before its renovation. And now the hall is restored again and in its fourth epoch,” he explained.
Author Mahmud Dolatabadi, actors Mohammad-Ali Keshavarz, and Parviz Purhosseini also gave short addresses at the ceremony.
The ceremony ended with a tribute paid to the manager of the hall and a live music performance by Mehdi Vejdani.
Photo: A group of stage artists pose for a photograph at the Sangelaj Theater on October 27 during a ceremony held to register the hall on Iran’s National Heritage List. (Mehr/Ra’uf Mohseni)