About Us

Biography

Born and raised in Iran, Mahmoud Behrouzian received his Bachelor’s degree in Theatre Arts from the Faculty of Fine Arts at Tehran University and his MFA in Drama at San Diego State University in 1987. He has performed and directed theatre in both USA and Iran. Mahmoud has worked with internationally acclaimed directors such as Bahram Beizaie, Khosro Masoumi, Mohammad Kowsar, and Shahroo Kheradmand.  

His Film and TV roles include: Jamehdaran, Taboo, Jumping From Low Hight, The Sun Over The Roof, Parviz, Portrait of Leily, Childhood Times, Death of Yazdgerd, Jalaledin (Rumi’s Childhood) Raah e Toolani, and Shab e Raghaeb.

Mahmoud has Directed many shows in San Diego that have toured Seatle, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. The House of Bernarda Alba, Begoo Magoo, Khab o Bidari, We Won’t Pay, Soudabeh & Siavash, Zahak, Arash, and others.

Biography

Rana Salimi is a scholar, educator, and theatre practitioner with a Ph.D in Theatre and Performance from UC, San Diego. She has been teaching theatre and film since 2007 in various universities throughout San Diego County. Rana has been involved in theatre as a performer, playwright, director, dramaturge, and Costume Designer as long as she remembers.

Rana’s Academic Papers have been published in New Theatre Quarterly and International Theatre Journal. She has also published two book chapters: Performing Glimpses of the Past and Harem Entertainers. She was the winner of President’s Mellon Fellowship in 2010.

As a Performer, Rana has appeared in Soudabeh & Siavash, Zahak, The House of Bernarda Alba, We Won’t P, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. She designed set and costumes for Knives in Hens, The Importance of Being Ernest, and Yerma. She Wrote and Directed Ring for Toronto Fringe Festival, and The Call and multiple street performances in San Diego. Rana has also written and directed children’s theatre for Iranian School of San Diego for over 10 years. She was the dramaturge for Children’s Playhouse in Toronto in 2003, and 1001 Nights In UC San Diego.

Biography

Dadyar Vakili is an Iranian-American actor from San Diego, California. He graduated from CSUSM with a major in English Literature and a double minor in Philosophy and Linguistics. With over a decade of experience, his acting career spans Shakespearean classics, modern dramas, and Persian literary works.

Notable Performances include roles in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” “The Last Days of Judas Iscariot,” and the Shahnameh, where he portrayed Siyavash, Fereydoon, and Kaveh, among others. He also starred in “The Last King,” the only officially adapted Stephen King work in a foreign language.

Beyond Acting, Dadyar has been nominated for Best Director and Best Screenwriter at the San Diego International Film Festival and contributed as a producer on Animal Planet’s “Zoo: San Diego.”