The production will run at Duchess Theatre from the 8th June until the 2nd November.
It has been announced that Nassim Soleimanpour and Omar Elerian have set up a new independent production company, There & Then.
The playwright and director whose previous collaborations include Echo and Nassim will launch the company with a new production of White Rabbit Red Rabbit, which will have performances every Monday from the 8th June.
Each performance begins with an envelope. Inside is a script the actor has never seen, that they must perform without rehearsal or a director. The play unfolds live, shaped entirely by how the author’s words compel that evening’s performer to respond. Each night brings a new energy as the actor steps into the unknown, creating a singular, unrepeatable theatrical experience.
The production, presented in association with Nica Burns, will mark the 15th anniversary of Soleimanpour’s play, which was first performed in 2011 while he was unable to leave Iran. It was last seen in the West End in 2024 at the @sohoplace.
This latest production will feature guest performers including David Harewood on 8 June, David Tennant on 15 June, Jo Joyner on 22 June, Asim Chaudhry on 29 June, Luke Thompson on 6 July, Jodie Whittaker on 13 July, Kathryn Hunter on 20 July, Kunal Nayyar on 27 July, Archie Madekwe on 21 September and Riz Ahmed on 28 September. Further casting is to be announced.
There & Then has been created following a decade-long collaboration between Soleimanpour and Elerian. It aims to create immediate, unpredictable theatrical work both in the UK and internationally. They are joined in the company by executive producer Roz Coleman, with support from producing advisor Malú Ansaldo.
Soleimanpour said: “We are all made of the stories we dare to tell, and the silences we finally give a voice. What began as a leap into the unknown with White Rabbit Red Rabbit has, through years of collaboration with Omar Elerian, become a shared theatrical language and the foundation of this new company, and we’re excited that our first production will be in association with Nica Burns and Nimax as we share this next chapter with audiences.”
Elerian commented: “I am extremely excited to embark on this new creative chapter in collaboration with my partner-in-crime, Nassim Soleimanpour. Together, we look forward to introducing something fresh and unconventional to the West End, confident that London audiences will embrace the exhilarating high-wire nature of our work – anchored in presence, immediacy, and a spirit of the unknown. In these fragile and uncertain times, we hope to reaffirm that risk, imagination, and the enduring power of storytelling remain among our most vital and transformative forces.”
To book tickets visit: https://nimaxtheatres.com/shows/wrrr/