Nassim Soleimanpour's NASSIM to be Presented at The Huntington

The Huntington has revealed the cast and creative team of Nassim, a vibrant theatrical experience written by Nassim Soleimanpour, directed by Omar Elerian, and produced by Nassim Soleimanpour Productions and Bush Theatre. Nassim runs from Friday, October 4 – Sunday, October 27, 2024 at the Calderwood Pavilion.
 
From Iranian playwright Nassim Soleimanpour comes an audacious, 75-minute, new theatrical experiment. Each performance a different special guest appears on stage, while the script waits unseen in a sealed box. Touchingly autobiographical yet powerfully universal, Nassim is a striking theatrical demonstration of how language can both divide and unite us.
 
Winner of the Fringe First Award at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Nassim has toured globally and is translated and performed in the native language of each country. Throughout the run of this production at The Huntington, both English and some Farsi will be spoken, and over 25 distinct special guests will be featured, with a different notable person taking the stage each night. The first time the guest performer sees the script is the moment they walk on stage and unbox it in front of the audience.
 
“I am beyond excited to bring Nassim to The Huntington and the great city of Boston as we approach show number 500,” says playwright Nassim Soleimanpour. “In a world full of bitter divisiveness, Nassim warmly invites us to unite and make new friends through the power of live entertainment. We look forward to doing so – with you! – in October.”
 
“I’m thrilled to introduce my friend, the brilliant writer Nassim Soleimanpour, and his gorgeous show simply entitled Nassim to each of you this fall,” says Huntington Artistic Director Loretta Greco. “Renowned internationally (his work has been translated to more than 30 languages), Nassim is equal parts inventive theater maker, cultural critic, and gentle community builder. His vulnerable exploration of connection through language transcends borders with grace and offers rare moment-to-moment surprises, large doses of laughter, and resonant understated impact.”

Nassim was originally commissioned and produced by the Bush Theatre and opened at the Bush Theatre in 2017. After its opening in London, the production won the Fringe First Award at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival before beginning its life on tour. In 2018 alone, the play was performed in 20 countries within a 200 day span. A unique theatrical experience that the Sydney Morning Herald called “surprising, disarming, and ultimately moving,” Nassim has been performed over 370 times with over 370 performers from around the world.
 
Nassim will feature a different guest performer at every performance. Select guest performers will include: Former Voice of the Celtics Mike Gorman, esteemed playwright Mfoniso Udofia (author of the nine plays of the Ufot Family Cycle), Boston Pops Conductor Keith Lockhart, Emmy award-winning Executive Arts Editor and host of GBH’s “The Culture Show” Jared Bowen, former Huntington Managing Director Michael Maso, Teatro Chelsea Artistic Director Armando Rivera, beloved Boston playwright and actor Melinda Lopez, recent Elliot Norton Award-winner Jennifer Apple (from last season’s The Band’s Visit), nationally produced playwright John Kolvenbach (last season’s Stand Up If You’re Here Tonight), and several favorite local actors including Marianna Bassham, Ken Cheeseman, Will Lyman, Karen MacDonald, Nael Nacer, and Celeste Oliva, with more to be announced.
 
The creative team for Nassim includes scenic design by Rhys Jarman, lighting design by Rajiv Pattani, sound design by James Swadlo. The designer is Rhys Jarman, the production manager is Michael Ager, the script editors are Carolina Ortega and Stewart Pringle, and the general manager is Shirin Ghaffari.
 
Nassim was originally commissioned and produced by the Bush Theatre and received its world premiere at the Bush Theatre, London, on 25 July 2017.

Photo credit: David Monteith-Hodge

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