there & Then theatre launches
A new independent production company, There & Then, has been announced today by acclaimed Iranian playwright Nassim Soleimanpour (ECHO, NASSIM) and award-winning director Omar Elerian (Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo, Rhinoceros).
Their inaugural production will be a West End run of Soleimanpour’s internationally acclaimed White Rabbit Red Rabbit at the Duchess Theatre from 8 June - 2 November 2026 in its 15th Anniversary year. Performances will take place weekly on Monday evenings, with tickets on sale now.
Born out of a decade-long collaboration between Soleimanpour and Elerian that builds on the international success of their signature cold-reads, There & Then is a new creative partnership that presents unique theatrical experiences in the UK and internationally, works firmly rooted in the present and responding to the immediacy of our rapidly changing global landscape.
There & Then was founded in 2026 by Nassim Soleimanpour and Omar Elerian, whose recent collaborations include ECHO at the Royal Court Theatre and NASSIM at the Bush Theatre. They are joined by Executive Producer Roz Coleman and supported by producing advisor Malú Ansaldo. Dedicated to producing immediate, unpredictable and unforgettable theatre, There & Then creates work that blends playfulness and rigour, inviting audiences into the heart of the process where form and content are inextricably linked. In addition to presenting their own work, Soleimanpour and Elerian will collaborate with artists, performers and communities worldwide, providing platforms and support to artists at different stages of their careers, who are driven by curiosity and want to challenge how theatre is made, shared and felt.
White Rabbit Red Rabbit is their first solo-production with casting by Casting Director Matilda James CDG. They are also presenting the second international tour of their most recent cold-read work, ECHO, working with producer Immanuel Bartz.
Nassim Soleimanpour, Founding Director of There & Then, said: “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.”
Omar Elerian, Founding Director of There & Then, said: “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.”
Roz Coleman, Executive Producer, said, “I have always worked alongside artists who push the limits of what is expected, and There & Then is a natural next chapter. The scale of ambition alongside the lightness of touch inspires me, and the return of White Rabbit Red Rabbit opens a door to something much bigger. With ECHO touring Europe this spring and a growing body of new work taking shape, I am proud to be part of building a company with this kind of range and restlessness. We are only just getting started."
Nica Burns said: “I am delighted to welcome two exceptional artists producing together for the first time with their new company - playwright Nassim Soleimanpour and director Omar Elerian - to our first Monday evening residency at the intimate Duchess Theatre. Every performance of White Rabbit Red Rabbit, a sold-out hit @sohoplace in 2024, is as unique as each of our outstanding company of performers, who appear only once. Definitely worth seeing twice!”