Iran: New Voices
Quartet: A Journey North

Amir Reza Koohestani
Director/Co-Writer
Amir Reza Koohestani was born in 1978 in Shiraz. He is a playwright and director. His artistic activities started with publishing short stories in local papers. Initially he studied film and cinema, soon abandoning this media in favour of writing for theatre. In 1996 he started collaborating with Mehr Theatre Group. His first play 'And the Day Never Came' was never performed. The second play 'The Murmuring Tales' however, opened the doors of success to him by becoming candidate for five awards at the International Fajir Theatre Festival. His third play 'Dances on Glasses' has been one of the most controversial and successful plays in Iran during recent years and has been staged on more than twenty international venues and festivals, namely Theater der Welt in Bonn (Germany) 2002 and Chekhov International Theatre Olympiad in Moscow 2003. His first co-production with European Festivals, 'Amid the Clouds' 2005 , which he wrote and directed at the Royal Court Theatre, London has been performed in over twenty cities in Europe. In 2007 he was appointed Artist in Residence at the Manchester International Festival and is now John Thaw Fellow in Drama at the University of Manchester.

Mahin Sadri
Co-Writer/Performer
Mahin Sadri is a young poet and filmmaker. Born in 1979, she began her literary work as early as the age of 15. She studied cinema in her native town Rasht, and started writing critical reviews for a number of national newspapers such as Iran and Jam-e-Jam. Her collaboration with Koohestani started first as assistant in 'Recent Experiences' and 'Amid the Clouds' and later as co-writer of 'Quartet' in which she is also a member of the cast.

Vali Mahlouji
Associate Producer: Iran New Voices
Born in Tehran, Vali Mahlouji came to London as a result of the outbreak of the Islamic Revolution in Iran to study archaeology and linguistics at the University of London, specialising in ancient Iranian art and antiquities as well as studying Old and Middle Persian for an MPhil in Iranian Philology. He subsequently established his own art gallery before also training in Fine Art and Theatre Design. As a designer his recent projects in theatre and film range from Maeterlinck's The Blind to Dvorak's Rusalka for amongst others the ICA, Riverside Studios, Arcola Theatre and Grange Park Opera, as well as short films for the BBC and UK Film Council. Vali has also worked extensively as a translator in collaboration with the Barbican, NFT, BFI, V&A and Channel 4. His translations and publications include Koohestani's Amid the Clouds (Royal Court), Samini's Eleventh Minute (BBC) and as a co-contributor on Islamic Affairs and Arts & Education for The Guardian.

Baran Kosari
Born in 1985, Tehran, Baran is the daughter of director Rakhshan Bani Etemad, a celebrated director in Iranian contemporary cinema and the producer Jahangir Kosari. She graduated from Soureh Academy but her acting career goes back to when she was five 'The Best Papa of the World' 1991 and in a number of her mother's films. Baran is also an accomplished theatre actress and has performing in such plays as 'Amid the Clouds', 2005 and 'Quartet: A Journey North' 2008 both by Amir Reza Koohestani.

Mohammad Hassan Madjouni
Born in 1969, Hassan Madjooni is an actor as well as stage and theatre director. Educated in Drama Literature, he is now a mentor in Tehran Performing Art University. He is the founder of Leev Theatre Group and the winner of Anerkennungspreis from Zurcher Theater Spektakel in 2005 for his performance in 'Amid the Clouds' by Amir Reza Koohestani.

Attila Pessyani
Born in 1957, Attila Pessyani is an actor, playwright, director and the founder of Theatre Bazi. The son of one of Iran's leading actresses Jamileh Shaikhi, he trained with Yoshi Oida and the legendary Grotowski actor Ryszard Cieslak and as youthful actor himself had roles in Peter Brook's Orghast Tadeusz Kantor's 'Dainty Shapes and Hairy Apes'. Pessyani has written some 15 plays for stage, performed more than 40 stage roles, appeared in 30 films for cinema and 26 television serials, while also teaching students of theatre and cinema at university and workshops.

In 1989 he founded Theatre Bazi, a group which has taken part in several international festivals and theatre venues, i.e. Edinburgh Festival in England and Lincoln Centre Festival in New York Theatre Bazi's most recent production is 'Devil's Ship' played at the Edinburgh in 2008.

Mahin Sadri
Please see above.