Nassim

Playwright Nassim Soleimanpour wasn't allowed to leave his home country until 2013. His work had been performed around the world by then, but until the Iranian government allowed him to have a passport, he had never seen it staged. His latest play, a touching, autobiographical work, explores the importance of language and family using storytelling, technology and a different actor in each performance.

It's a moving, delicate piece of theatre that draws on a mix of conventions that shouldn't work, but do.

The text is unseen by the performer. An actor on stage who knows nothing about the piece is always a risk, and his script is provided by an off-stage, projected live feed that could easily wobble or fail. The text is designed to destabilise the performer, and they must be willing to roll with what they are given. There's little to look at, and the content that unfolds follows a meandering path that is almost stream-of-conscious.

It's that content that draws in the audience. Immensely personal, funny and touching, most people can relate to learning swear words in another language with a new friend, homesickness and wanting to please your mum. There are joyful surprises and some audience interaction that is more like an intimate conversation with mates than a performance.

The liveness and Soleimanpour's unique, personal story are some of the reasons for Nassim's success. More importantly, it unifies rather than politically divides, and displays a compelling vulnerability and love that can soften the hardest of hearts.