Documentary Theatre Production
London  • Amsterdam  • International Tour
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About The Play Anonymous 11780, written and directed by Hila Sedighi, is a documentary-poetic theatre production where testimony, memory, and performance converge. Conceived in the aftermath of the violent crackdown following Iran’s nationwide protests of 8–9 January 2026, the work transforms lived experience into an intimate and deeply human theatrical journey. Written & Directed Hila Sedighi Producer Iman Arjmandi |
Creative TeamWriter & Director Hila Sedighi Producer Iman Arjmandi Line Producer Laleh Moosavi Consultant Director Iman Arjmandi |
CastBehrang Pour Mohammad Kamand Panah Shervin Nikoo Parina Hezareh Featuring Hila Sedighi |
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🇬🇧 LondonThe Cockpit Theatre London, United Kingdom 14–15 April 2026 16–17 June 2026 |
🇳🇱 AmsterdamContact Amsterdam Amsterdam, Netherlands 24 June 2026 |
Anonymous 11780, written and directed by Hila Sedighi, is a documentary-poetic theatre work conceived at the intersection of testimony, memory, and theatrical ritual. Created during a period of profound sorrow in Iran, the piece emerges in response to the violent crackdown associated with the nationwide protests of 8–9 January 2026.
Structured as an episodic performance integrating live stage and projected archive, the work does not reconstruct events through journalistic narration. Instead, it turns to the afterlife of testimony—asking what remains when identities are reduced to numbers, and what theatre can recover where history has been obscured.
At its center stands a singular image: a black body bag marked Anonymous 11780—a metaphor for bureaucratic erasure and the reduction of human life into record. From this image unfolds a poetic and narrative structure in which fragments of lives emerge. The dead rise, speak, and bear witness—not as abstractions, but as interrupted presences whose stories persist beyond disappearance.
The work ultimately honours eight individuals whose lives were lost during those events, weaving personal memory with broader historical resonance. Through this lens, Anonymous 11780 offers a reflective exploration of grief, identity, and collective memory.
The production was staged on 14th and 15th April at The Cockpit in London, where by the second performance the auditorium reached full capacity with sold-out tickets, reflecting strong audience reception.
Following the London presentation of Anonymous 11780 at The Cockpit Theatre, Hila Sedighi was interviewed by BBC Persian on 27 April 2026 to discuss the inspiration, creation, and impact of the production.
During the interview, Sedighi explained that Anonymous 11780 is an eight-part documentary theatre production that weaves together documentary material, personal memories, and dramatic storytelling to explore themes of grief, identity, resilience, and collective memory. Centered on the stories of eight individuals, the work reflects on contemporary human experiences through an artistic and documentary lens.
The interview highlighted the production's international reception and recognized Hila Sedighi's work as a playwright, director, and contemporary theatre-maker committed to creating socially engaged and thought-provoking performances.
