About The Zahir

In Jorge Luis Borges's short story "The Zahir," an ordinary object becomes an overwhelming force—captivating, dazzling, and ultimately consuming. The more one contemplates it, the smaller the universe becomes. It is a metaphor for obsession, attention, and the narrowing of the human world.

We chose the name because each of us confronts a modern Zahir: the screens, feeds, and digital currents that demand our attention while quietly shrinking our sense of one another. In an age defined by noise, loneliness, and misinformation, the act of gathering for a story has become radical.

The Zahir was founded to counter that contraction. Through theater, film, and other dramatic arts, we strive to break the spell—to create work that draws people back into the present, back into community, and back into conversation. We believe that storytelling is still one of the most powerful tools for widening perception and renewing human connection.

We are committed to producing original work, paying artists fairly, and building a sustainable creative home in Austin. Though newly formed, our vision is long-term: to become a place where artists can take risks, audiences can wrestle with new ideas, and everyone involved can feel a little less alone.

This is the beginning of that work.