In 1955, Nasirian studied The Art of Theater, a book that broadened his understanding of dramatic theory. He also attended acting classes run by Saadi Theater, led by the wife of the renowned leftist theater director Abdolhossein Noushin. However, after the 1953 coup d’état, Saadi Theater was shut down and later burned, as the new political climate was hostile to progressive and artistic circles. Undeterred, Nasirian continued his studies by enrolling in the Acting Conservatory (Honarestan-e Namayesh)—Iran’s first formal theater school, founded in 1939. He passed the entrance exam and began a rigorous three-year program that emphasized both practical and theoretical education in performance arts.
At the Conservatory, Nasirian studied under master teachers such as Ismail Mehrtash, Hossein Kasbian, and others who taught through mentorship and individualized instruction. Among his classmates were Fahimeh Rastkar, Bijan Mofid, Rafat Hashempour, and other figures who would later shape modern Iranian theater. These formative years instilled in Nasirian a lifelong dedication to artistic discipline, intellectual curiosity, and respect for Iranian dramatic traditions.
