What it means
نمایشنامه (namâyesh-nâme) is the written script of a theatrical play or, by extension, a screenplay or dramatic text. It is a compound of two pure Persian elements: نمایش (namâyesh, meaning “show”, “display”, or “performance”, from the verb نمایاندن, to show) and نامه (nâme, meaning “letter”, “book”, or “written document”). The literal sense is “a document of performance”. A related term is فیلمنامه (filmnâme), which refers specifically to a film screenplay, using the borrowed word فیلم (film) plus the same نامه suffix.
How to use it
- نمایشنامه رو خوندم، خیلی قوی بود. (Namâyeshnâme ro khundam, kheyli qavi bud.) “I read the play, it was very powerful.”
- اون نمایشنامهنویس معروفیه. (Oon namâyeshnâme-navis-e ma’rufi-ye.) “He/she is a well-known playwright.”
- این نمایشنامه از چخوف ترجمه شده. (In namâyeshnâme az Chekhov tarjome shode.) “This play is translated from Chekhov.”
- نمایشنامهی جدیدش رو تئاتر شهر اجرا میکنه. (Namâyeshnâme-ye jadidash ro Teâtr-e Shahr ejrâ mikone.) “His/her new play is being performed at Tehran City Theatre.”
Cultural note
Iranian theater has a rich modern history, influenced both by classical Persian performance traditions and by European dramatic forms introduced in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Prominent Iranian playwrights such as Bahram Beyzai and Akbar Radi have elevated نمایشنامه as a literary form alongside poetry and fiction. Tehran’s Tiyâtr-e Shahr (City Theatre) remains the most prestigious venue for staged نمایشنامه productions. The distinction between a نمایشنامه (stage play script) and a فیلمنامه (film screenplay) is standard in Persian literary and industry usage.