Theatrical Adaptation of LEILI & MAJNUN Returns to Richmond's Central Stage
The production will play October 31 to November 23, 2025.
By: Stephi Wild Sep. 23, 2025
Following last year's successful limited run, sweeping romance returns to the Bay Area with Leili & Majnun written and directed by acclaimed Bay Area artist Torange Yeghiazarian. Arguably the most popular love story in the Middle East and Central Asia, this timeless tale of star-crossed lovers is often cited as source inspiration for Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet. The production will play October 31 to November 23, 2025 at Central Stage (5221 Central Avenue, Richmond). Opening is Sunday, November 2nd at 3pm.
“During this particularly violent and inhuman era, Leili & Majnun serves as a means of self-preservation by centering women, the arts, and the triumph of love,” says Yeghiazarian, who founded the renowned Golden Thread Productions celebrating its 30th-anniversary next year. “It's been a joy to uplift this beloved story from the Middle East with some of the best SWANA artistic talent in the Bay Area in a space like Central Stage that has deep community roots.”
As told in the 12th-century in Persian by master poet, Nizami Ganjavi, this ancient Arab fable revolves around the title characters who meet as children in school and fall in love. Leili's family's will not allow their union, which drives Majnun mad (Majnun literally means ‘mad' in Arabic). Unexpected from a woman at that time, Leili resists her family and society's expectations, and finds a way to be with Majnun — albeit briefly and with tragic results. Leili & Majnun might be known as a tragedy and Majnun as the ultimate tragic hero, yet in Leili, Nizami has created a female Arab character that is educated, smart, a skilled poet, and an articulate adult that exercises agency and stands her ground. Yeghiazarian centers Leili as the leading character, attempts to shed more light on Leili's dramatic point of view.
Yeghiazarian, who has translated and adapted numerous Middle Eastern fables and legends both for adult and young audiences, borrows from the Nahgali storytelling tradition. Originally performed by a solo and transformative male storyteller in a public space, Yeghiazarian's adaptation of Leili & Majnun casts a female Naghal supported by an ensemble that breaks the fourth wall with contemporary commentary to engage present-day audiences. This “luminous tribute to the Nizami epic” features ensemble movement and live music, as well as selections from the original Persian poetry to expose audiences to the beauty and musicality of the Persian language.
Yeghiazarian is creating this production in community: The celebrated creative team of Iranian-American talent include scenic designer and award-winning visual artist Mokhtar Paki, whose minimal and elegant scenic design made of canvas and bamboo, will evoke Bedouin tents; and composer Sirvan Manhoobi who brings a mix of ancient Arabic magham and traditional Persian and Kurdish melodies. Music director, Sara Saberi contributes to the score and will accompany the performance live on the oud and tanbur, together with Josh Mellinger on Percussion. Costume design by Maggie Whittaker, Lighting design by Alejandro Acosta. The nearly all Middle Eastern-American ensemble cast features, Sofia Ahmad*, Yasaman Asgari, Behzad Golemohammadi, Brandon DiPaula, Zaya Kolia*, Roeen Nooran, and Dina Zarif.
Central stage, a multi-faceted performance space and community arts hub founded and operated by Iranian artists of different ethnicities and cultural heritage, creates the perfect venue for this production. Central Stage fosters a thriving community by providing the space and the support to enable open un-curated artistic expression, experimentation, and development. Their mission is to facilitate dialogue through the arts, promote camaraderie and community-building, and enable unbridled creative expression. The Central Stage community believes that the arts are a vivid reflection of Iranian diasporic lives and history, and the best way to celebrate community to gain a deeper understanding of our differences. CentralStage.org
Torange Yeghiazarian is an award-winning playwright and director passionate about building community through theater. Her artistic practice reflects her values of radical hospitality and inclusiveness aimed at disrupting stereotypes of the Middle East both within the community and outside of it. As a director, Torange's focus has been on new plays, experimenting with Middle Eastern performance traditions, and adaptation of classics. Her theatre work is propelled by the need to build, inspire, and empower community. Torange founded Golden Thread Productions, the first American theatre company devoted to the Middle East and its global diaspora, and served as its Executive Artistic Director for twenty-five years. There she launched visionary programs such as ReOrient Festival, New Threads, and Fairytale Players, and helped launch the careers of countless artists. Torange is a founding board member of Middle Eastern North African Theater Makers Alliance (MENATMA), and a board member of the Consortium of Asian American Theaters and Artists (CAATA). Torange's latest play, The Tutor, commissioned by the New Conservatory Theatre premiered in 2024 to excellent reviews. Torange's writing has been published in: New Iranian Plays, Performing Iran, Casting A Movement, Salaam. Peace Anthology, The Drama Review, American Theatre Magazine, AmerAsia Journal, Encyclopedia of Women and Islamic Cultures, and the Cambridge World Encyclopedia of Stage Actors. TorangeYeghiazarian.com
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