Iranian playwright Nassim Soleimanpour and Italian-Palestinian director Omar Elerian push the boundaries of cold reads to the next level with ECHO. At each performance, a different actor steps onto stage where the script waits in a sealed envelope. Having had no preparation or rehearsal, the night is as surprising for them as it is for the audience. Co-commissioned by a number of theatre companies around the world, including Canberra Theatre Centre and Malthouse Theatre, ECHO sold out when it premiered in London last year. Soleimanpour  says that ECHO draws on his own life and asks us to experience what it feels like to be an immigrant. The performers will be revealed soon.

Limelight Editor’s Choice

The most performed playwright in the history of Iranian theatre Nassim Soleimanpour (White Rabbit, Red Rabbit, NASSIM) and acclaimed director Omar Elerian (NASSIM, Misty, two Palestinians go dogging) push the boundaries of Soleimanpour’s signature unrehearsed cold reads to the next level.

Every night, a new performer takes to the stage not knowing what is going to be asked of them. Unrehearsed and deliberately unprepared, the script becomes their only guide as they journey through the story of the playwright, connected live from his home in Berlin. (Or is he?) Past performances overseas have seen the likes of Emilia Clarke, Meera Syal, Fiona Shaw and Benedict Wong take the stage.

ECHO: Every Cold-Hearted Oxygen invites you to consider what home means to you. Fusing technology with the oldest tricks in the book, this is theatre for the age of climate crisis: an ambitious, magical and profound production where no one travels yet everybody is present.

Beloved actors and celebrated icons will create an unrepeatable and unforgettable experience.