Ben Lawson, Pia Miranda, Nadine Garner, and More Join Malthouse Theatre's ECHO

The performance uses technology to orchestrate a fleeting, transcendent and transcontinental 90-minutes of real-time collaboration, synchronising the playwright in Berlin and each performer on stage.

Globally renowned for his signature ‘cold reads', Soleimanpour's previous works have attracted world-class acting talent including Emilia Clarke, Meera Syal, Fiona Shaw, and Benedict Wong.

“It's the unpredictability of this style of performance that I find so thrilling,” says Soleimanpour. “It's the most alive theatre can get. Imagine watching a football match—Melburnians especially will know what I mean—and you already knew who would score and when. It'd be less fun. That's why we don't want to spoil it!”

Elerian echoes this sentiment: “With Nassim's plays, there's always a certain level of secrecy because the actors shouldn't read or see a production of the play beforehand—it's essential to preserving that sense of freshness. Secrecy isn't vital to the making of the play, but it absolutely enhances the experience for both the performer and the audience. We think Melbourne is really going to love that sense of discovery.”

This Australian premiere production is led by the original creative team, including creative technologist/video and production designer Derek Richards, lighting designer Jackie Shemesh, composer and sound designer Anna Clock, creative producer and dramaturg Immanuel Bartz, dramaturg Kirsty Housley, and script editor Stewart Pringle.