Nassim Soleimanpour & Omar Elerian Debut Theater Producer Then & There

Iranian playwright Nassim Soleimanpour and director Omar Elerian have launched a theater production company, There & Then.

They are planning on a West End version of Soleimanpour’s White Rabbit Red Rabbit at the Duchess Theatre as their inaugural production, presented in association with Nica Burns and her Nimax Theatre Group. The play sees a different performer taking to the stage each night with a sealed envelop containing a script they’ve never seen before, which is the performed with no rehearsal or director.

Running between June 8-November 2 on Monday evenings, the initial roster of artists includes David Harewood (Othello) on the opening night, David Tennant (Rivals) on 15 June, Jo Joyner (Little Disasters) on 22 June, Asim Chaudhry (People Just Do Nothing) on 29 June, Luke Thompson (Bridgerton) on 6 July, Jodie Whittaker (Toxic Town) on 13 July, Kathryn Hunter (Poor Things) on 20 July, Kunal Nayyar (The Big Bang Theory) on 27 July, Archie Madekwe (Steal) on 21 September and Riz Ahmed (Bait) on 28 September. Further casting to be announced in the coming weeks.

White Rabbit Red Rabbit has been performed over 4,000 times and translated into over 25 different languages since its debut in 2011. It was written while Soleimanpour was forbidden to leave Iran.

Nassim Soleimanpour and Elerian are known for collaborations on Echo at the Royal Court Theatre and Nassim at the Bush Theatre, both of which similarly challenge performers to take on roles with no prior preparation. They are joined by at Then & There by executive producer Roz Coleman and supported by producing advisor Malú Ansaldo.

Along with presenting their own work, Soleimanpour and Elerian will work with artists, performers and communities to provide platforms and support to artists at different stages of their careers. White Rabbit Red Rabbit is their first solo production, with casting by Casting Director Matilda James. They are also presenting the second international tour of their most recent cold-read work, Echo, working with producer Immanuel Bartz.

“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,” said Then & There founding director Soleimanpour.

Elerian, the other founding director, added: “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.”