Nassim Soleimanpour (born 10 December 1981 (19

Azar Azar ( fa, آذر, ) is the ninth month of the Solar Hijri calendar, the official calendar of Iran and Afghanistan. Azar has thirty days. It begins in November and ends in December by the Gregorian calendar. Azar corresponds to the Tropical Astro ...

1360 SH), is an Iranian playwright. He is best known for his 2010 play ''White Rabbit Red Rabbit''.

Early life and education

Soleimanpour was born in

Tehran Tehran (; fa, تهران ) is the largest city in Tehran Province and the capital of Iran. With a population of around 9 million in the city and around 16 million in the larger metropolitan area of Greater Tehran, Tehran is the most popul ...

, Iran."''White Rabbit Red Rabbit''"
nassimsoleimanpour.com His father is a novelist, so writing was a natural thing to do in his family. He studied

set design Scenic design (also known as scenography, stage design, or set design) is the creation of theatrical, as well as film or television scenery. Scenic designers come from a variety of artistic backgrounds, but in recent years, are mostly trained ...

at the

University of Tehran The University of Tehran (Tehran University or UT, fa, دانشگاه تهران) is the most prominent university located in Tehran, Iran. Based on its historical, socio-cultural, and political pedigree, as well as its research and teaching pro ...

, and started teaching a computer-aided set design course there, but always continued to write – poems, short stories and stage plays. Having refused compulsory military service in Iran, he was not allowed to leave the country until 2013, when he was granted a passport."Nassim Soleimanpour's ''White Rabbit Red Rabbit'' at World Theatre Festival"
interview by Sarah Kanowski and

Richard Fidler Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from Old Frankish and is a compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' and ''*hardu-'' 'strong, brave, hardy', and it therefore means 'stron ...

, ABC Radio National, 23 February 2013

Works

''White Rabbit Red Rabbit''

Soleimanpour's 2010 play ''White Rabbit Red Rabbit'' has been performed widely and in more than 20 languages."''Nassim'' review – language and life lessons from a vivid Iranian voice"
by

Lyn Gardner Lyn Gardner is a British theatre critic, children's writer and journalist who contributes reviews and articles to ''The Stage,'' '' Stagedoor'' and has written for ''The Guardian''. Theatre critic and educator A graduate in drama and English from ...

, ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'', 10 August 2017 It is to be performed each night by a different actor, who has not seen the script before. First performed at the 2011 Edinburgh Festival Fringe and

Clubbed Thumb Clubbed Thumb is a downtown theater company in New York City that commissions, develops, and produces "funny, strange, and provocative new plays by living American writers." Since its founding in 1996, the company has earned five OBIES (including t ...

's Summerworks festivals,''White Rabbit Red Rabbit''
Aurora Nova it has since been performed by an array of A-list actors, including

F. Murray Abraham F. Murray Abraham (born Murray Abraham; October 24, 1939) is an American actor. Known for his roles on stage and screen, he came to prominence for his acclaimed leading role as Antonio Salieri in the drama film '' Amadeus'' (1984) for which he wo ...

Wayne Brady Wayne Alphonso Brady (born June 2, 1972) is an American television personality, comedian, actor, and singer. He is a regular on the American version of the improvisational comedy television series ''Whose Line Is It Anyway?'' He was the host of ...

, Bobby Cannavale,

Darren Criss Darren Everett Criss (born February 5, 1987) is an American actor, singer, and songwriter. He rose to fame starring on the television series '' Glee'' (2010–2015) and received Emmy and Golden Globe acting awards for his leading role as spree ...

Brian Dennehy Brian Manion Dennehy (; July 9, 1938 – April 15, 2020) was an American actor of stage, television, and film. He won two Tony Awards, an Olivier Award, and a Golden Globe, and received six Primetime Emmy Award nominations. Dennehy had roles in ...

Joyce DiDonato Joyce DiDonato (née Flaherty; born February 13, 1969) is an American lyric-coloratura mezzo-soprano. She is notable for her interpretations of operas and concert works in the 19th-century romantic era in addition to works by Handel and Mozart. ...

Whoopi Goldberg Caryn Elaine Johnson (born November 13, 1955), known professionally as Whoopi Goldberg (), is an American actor, comedian, author, and television personality.Kuchwara, Michael (AP Drama Writer)"Whoopi Goldberg: A One-Woman Character Parade". ' ...

Nathan Lane Nathan Lane (born Joseph Lane; February 3, 1956) is an American actor. In a career spanning over 40 years he has been seen on stage and screen in roles both comedic and dramatic. Lane has received numerous awards including three Tony Awards, ...

Cynthia Nixon Cynthia Ellen Nixon (born April 9, 1966) is an American actress, activist, and theater director. For her portrayal of Miranda Hobbes in the HBO series ''Sex and the City'' (1998–2004), she won the 2004 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supp ...

Patrick Wilson Patrick Joseph Wilson (born July 3, 1973) is an American actor and director. He began his career in 1995, starring in Broadway musicals. He received nominations for two Tony Awards for his roles in ''The Full Monty'' (2000–2001) and ''Oklahoma ...

, Stana Katic and many more at its premiere in New York City at the

Westside Theatre The Westside Theatre is an off-Broadway performance space at 407 West 43rd Street between Ninth and Tenth Avenues in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. The building houses two auditoriums: the Upstairs Theatre, which s ...

in 2016 where it ran for 42 weeks, produced by

Tom Kirdahy Thomas Joseph Kirdahy (born June 18, 1963) is an American Tony and Olivier Award-winning theatrical producer, lawyer, and activist. Kirdahy most recently produced the Broadway production of the epic two-part play '' The Inheritance,'' winner of ...

. Soleimanpour first saw the play in 2013 at the

Brisbane Powerhouse Brisbane Powerhouse is an arts and cultural hub located in a former power station in the Brisbane suburb of New Farm, Queensland, Australia. The venue offers an array of performing arts, visual arts, festivals, and free community events. The fir ...

, Australia, during the World Theatre Festival.

Other works

His play ''Blind Hamlet'' premiered during the 2014 Edinburgh Festival Fringe at the

Assembly Roxy Assembly is a theatre and comedy promotion company, producer and venue operator. It programmes and promotes entertainment events at venues in Edinburgh, London and Brighton, and is the longest-established of the so-called Big Four promoters at ...

. ''Nassim'', which requires the actor and audience members to speak

Farsi Persian (), also known by its endonym Farsi (, ', ), is a Western Iranian language belonging to the Iranian branch of the Indo-Iranian subdivision of the Indo-European languages. Persian is a pluricentric language predominantly spoken an ...

(Persian), premiered in Edinburgh in 2017 and played at the

Arts Centre Melbourne Arts Centre Melbourne, originally known as the Victorian Arts Centre and briefly called the Arts Centre, is a performing arts centre consisting of a complex of theatres and concert halls in the Melbourne Arts Precinct, located in the central ...

in early 2018. ''Nassim'' had its New York premiere in December 2018 at Stage II of the

New York City Center New York City Center (previously known as the Mecca Temple, City Center of Music and Drama,. The name "City Center for Music and Drama Inc." is the organizational parent of the New York City Ballet and, until 2011, the New York City Opera. and t ...

, where it played until April 20."Ashley Park, Lee Pace, Will Eno, More Join ''Nassim'' Before Show Closes Off-Broadway"
by Olivia Clement, '' Playbill'', April 4, 2019

Awards

Soleimanpour has won several awards, including: * Dublin Fringe Festival Best New Performance 2012 * Summerworks Outstanding New Performance Text Award 2011 * The Arches Brick Award, Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2011

References

External links

* *
''White Rabbit Red Rabbit''
on

American Theatre Wing The American Theatre Wing (the Wing for short) is a New York City–based non-profit organization "dedicated to supporting excellence and education in theatre", according to its mission statement. Originally known as the Stage Women's War Relief ...

's '' Working in the Theatre'' series * (

) {{DEFAULTSORT:Soleimanpour, Nassim 1981 births Living people People from Tehran Iranian dramatists and playwrights 21st-century dramatists and playwrights