the capital city of Tehran. Among today's most popular Iranian playwrights and directors are Mohammad Charmshir, Naghmeh Samini, Hossein Nuri, Homayoun Ghanizadeh, and Zahra Sabri. In modern times, Bahram Beyzai has made the most significant contribution in the historiography of Persian theatre with his seminal book, A Study on Iranian Theatre (1965). Other works include Willem Floor's book, The History of Theater in Iran (2005), and William O. Beeman's book, Iranian Performance Traditions (2011). Iranian diaspora theatre The Darvag Theater Group was founded in 1984 in Berkeley, California by former Iranian student activists. They have produced and staged plays in the English language and in Persian; including plays by non-Iranian playwrights. Golden Thread Productions (also known as the Golden Thread Company) was founded in 1996 by Torange Yeghiazarian in the San Francisco, California, embracing the multiplicity of the Middle East including Iran. Silk Road Rising (formally Silk Road Theatre Project) was founded in 2003 in Chicago by Malik Gillani and Jamil Khoury. Silk Road Rising presents work by playwrights from Asian and Middle Eastern descent including Iranian. See also Dances in Iran Persian cinema Persian culture Hajji Firuz Culture of Iran Iranian stand-up comedy Iranian theatre directors Performing arts References External links Persian Theatre in Tajikistan from BBC Persian Iran Theatre List on Pars Times Theater Industry is as Alive as Film, article from 21 January 2000, on Iranian.com Theatre in Iran, 1944–1953, a pictorial history Theatre Asian drama