Theatre Laundering - 23 September 2026

What happens when real stories are altered to make them more palatable for their audience? 

Theatre Laundering explores the expectations of Western theatre-goers and asks whether there is still room for unfiltered reality on stage. Join us for this thought-provoking interactive performance, followed by a post-show discussion.

Theatre Laundering
Wednesday 23 September, 6.30pm
Pay What You Can £17.00 / £15.00 / £13.00

Book Now - Byre Theatre Website

Please note: The performance is mostly in English with occasional Dutch and Persian sentences accompanied by surtitles.

Meet Newsha Tavakolian, an Iranian-Dutch photographer; Setareh Nafisi, a composer; and Marene van Holk, a theatre maker. Through their stories, Theatre Laundering explores the difficult choices they have faced as artists, migrants and human beings.

Led by director Arvand Dashtaray and written by Naghmeh Samini, this interactive performance asks what happens when real stories are adapted to meet audience expectations?

After 23 years making theatre in Iran, Dashtaray arrived in the Netherlands and found himself navigating a very different theatrical culture. Drawing on this experience, Theatre Laundering explores how stories change as they cross borders, languages and cultures. 

Whose voices are heard? Which parts of a story are emphasised, softened or left out? And what do audiences expect when they encounter stories shaped by migration, conflict and lived experience? 

Combining personal testimony, conversation and audience participation, Theatre Laundering is a provocative exploration of storytelling, authenticity and representation. 

Stay after the performance for a post-show discussion moderated by Dr Saeed Talajooy, Senior Lecturer in the University of St Andrews' School of Modern Languages.