Things Hidden Since the Foundation of the World (NHB Modern Plays)

It's the 1970s, and Fereydoun Farrokhzad's star is blazing bright - he's a sex symbol and chart-topping pop singer. Imagine an Iranian Tom Jones. A decade on and he's living in political exile in Germany, though still selling out the Royal Albert Hall. Then, on 7 August 1992, he's found brutally murdered. The neighbours said his dogs had been barking for two nights. The case has never been solved. Things Hidden Since the Foundation of the World is an investigation into the nature of investigation; part free-wheeling lecture, part podcast and part play. It is a thrilling ride down the rabbit hole of Wikipedia and true-crime podcasts, sorting through the tangle of information available online to reveal the limits of the search engines in solving a decades-old cold case. Originally produced by The Javaad Alipoor Company in 2022, this witty, fast-paced and cutting-edge play, by Javaad Alipoor with Chris Thorpe, was co-commissioned by HOME and the National Theatre of Parramatta. It has toured worldwide, including a run at the Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh, during the 2023 Festival Fringe.

Javaad Alipoor is a Manchester-based writer, director and maker-performer working across different media including theatre, TV, digital forms and film. As writer, director and performer, his work includes: Things Hidden Since the Foundation of the World (HOME Manchester & Battersea Arts Centre, 2023); Rich Kids (Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh, & HOME 2019); and The Believers Are But Brothers (2017 Edinburgh Fringe, Bush Theatre, and national and international tour). He runs the Javaad Alipoor Company.