ZENDEH

FOUND

"A really moving piece, with an ambiance of surreal fragility - which to me more than any other theatre piece really showed the actors' and writers' craft at its best."
Tony Panayiotou, Director, Diversity, Arts Council England
On the extract that was shown at Decibel Performing Arts Showcase 2011

SILK

"Enchanting tale is pure escapism"
"A brave new world of mixed-up genres ... an incredible journey ... super show ..."
Evening Chronicle
03/12/10

Paper Dolls

"a strangely dreamlike, even mesmerising experience... A fascinating piece!"
British Theatre Guide
15/04/2010

Tales of the Arabian Nights

"Nazli Tabatabai-Khatambakhsh gives a robust account of Gerry Mulgrew's version of the Arabian Nights for ZENDEH, thanks to strong performances from her trio of professional actors who are joined by the cream of Theatre Workshop's community performers. She clearly shares Mulgrew's own understanding of the importance of the language in the evocation of a story and does not hold back from letting the florid take the tale to new heights of fantasy."
The Stage
19/12/2006

"Right plum in the centre of that Cornucopia is ZENDEH's co-production (with Theatre Workshop) of some Tales of the Arabian Nights in a version by Gerry Mulgrew.... Director Nazli Tabatabai-Khatambakhsh understands just how magical this storytelling is, so she keeps the staging simple and carefully casts her company of professional and community players to fine effect... By the end we agree with the King who has been beguiled by Sharazad - we all want another story."
The Herald
19/12/2006

"Nazli Tabatabai weaves the show together into a strangely spellbinding evening."
The Scotsman
19/12/2006

"LUSCIOUS language and a hint of incense catch the threads of the many stories of the Arabian Nights at Theatre Workshop - until all are coiled up, one inside the next, to form a vast, all-encompassing tale. This is an exotic production, for all its simplicity. And it has a real feel of Arabia about it, thanks to the association of Nazli Tabatabai-Khatambakhsh of the ZENDEH theatre company as director. She allows the stories to tell themselves. She also makes excellent use of a trio of professional actors together with some of the best to rise up through Theatre Workshop's community plays."
Evening News
19/12/2006

KHAKI

"stylistically beautiful, linguistically passionate and surprisingly witty."
Scottish Theatre Web
Five Stars
Fringe Website
22/08/2006

Waiting Room

Five Stars
Scottish Theatre Web
16/08/2005

"striking and thought provoking"
The Stage
18/08/2005

"this production is intelligently staged, with strong performances"
The Scotsman
23/08/2005

Five Stars
edinburghguide.com
21/08/2005

"Theatre company ZENDEH (which, translated, means Alive), revive Isabel Wright's dark and poignant play about two women, forced together in the midst of an unnamed faith-civil war, finding refuge in the claustrophobia of an abandoned schoolroom. A complex relationship emerges with surreal shifts from playful to extreme intensity as horrifying secrets are revealed.

With her own experiences of was, artistic director Nazli Tabatabai deeply understands its effect on the human spirit. "We know this is a political play but we don't ever pin it to Kosovo or Iraq: the importance and value for us is the social context".

With the production having been nominated for the Amnesty Freedom of Expression Award, it sounds promising.

As Tabatabai says: "This play that is so very timely talks about the war waged on women's bodies and speaks of human rights in a human way"