HEART @ Northern Stage

All’s fair in love and war. Not when the “war” in question (or 1953 four day coup d’etat in this politically and emotionally charged play) was a military operation to overthrow the Iranian Prime Minister by the British and US governments to protect their oil interests. This is the backdrop of betrayal for the love triangle between an Iranian female poet, her English, Durham University educated husband, and her first love – a Syrian poet. Sounding just and equitable so far?


HEART’s story is inspired by an ancient Middle Eastern poem - think the big sister of Romeo and Juliet - with the central themes of obsession and betrayal. Set between Durham and Tehran, the characters tell their stories using a mixture of dynamic poetry and rich dialogue with the use of newsreels relaying the sequence of events of the Mordad 28 Coup throughout.

HEART is brought to Northern Stage by ZENDEH, a Newcastle based touring theatre company formed in 2004. Through the clever use of physical theatre and performance poetry, their politically charged productions examine tumultuous relationships between individuals and on a wider global scale. Major themes such as jealousy, betrayal and justice, as well as the current situation in the Middle East are bound to provoke debate and resonate long after leaving the theatre.


Nazli Tabatabai-Khatambakhsh, ZENDEH’s Artistic director, says that the company are proud to be involved in a community and education engagement programme exploring the play’s themes further with the public, including the identity of the North East as a character in the production.
HEART is coming to Northern Stage from April 1st to 3rd - 8pm.
Box office for Northern Stage - 0191 230 5151/ website northernstage.co.uk/whats-on/heart
Website: zendeh.com
Facebook: zendehcompany
Twitter: @ZENDEH_tweets