This September, Concord will get to experience one of the wildest theater experiments in America. The enigmatic smash hit play “White Rabbit, Red Rabbit” will arrive at Concord’s Hatbox theater. The play, by a young Iranian playwright, is performed by a different actor every night without rehearsal or direction. But the real catch is that the actor doesn’t see the script before he or she steps on stage. Former Congressman Paul Hodes talked with Concord Community Players producers Wayland Bunnell and Lacy Long on WKXL’s Capitol Closeup about the play and what Concord theater-goers can expect.
This conversation has been condensed and edited.
What makes this show so special?
I saw the show in Portsmouth and it was just a mindblower. We couldn’t stop talking about it all the way home. So then we went back again and it was a totally different show: same script, but two different actors, two different shows. And again we talked about it all the way home. So we decided that we had to bring it to Concord.
Do we know why the playwright chose this method?
We actually don’t! We know he had assistance. He had a dramaturge and he had editors and friends that helped him develop the play, but we don’t know why he chose to do it this way. It just happens to work really well.
And there’s no director?
That’s correct. There’s no director and no rehearsal, and the actor can’t see the script before he or she goes on stage. So it takes a lot of acting skill. This show has been performed by an array of A-List actors: F. Murray Abraham, Wayne Brady, Brian Dennehy, Whoopi Goldberg, Nathan Lane, Cynthia Nixon, Patrick Wilson, and many more. It premiered in New York at the West Side Theater in 2016 where it ran for 42 weeks with a different actor or actress every night.
Does the script have to be non-gender specific? Or does the actor have to adapt anything in the script on the fly depending on gender?
We actually got two scripts: one script for males and one script for females, but pronouns are correct throughout the script. And they go through one act, no intermission.
What about the set?
There is a minimal set, but we can’t even tell you what that is. The license for the play is one of the more complicated licenses I’ve ever looked at in terms of production requirements. We have to clear everything by the license holder. Anything that goes out to newspapers or social media has to be approved by the license holder. And the set is very simple. The actors never see it until they step on stage. It’s really about the relationship between the actor and the performance and the audience. It’s pure theater.
How does the actor get the script?
Right in front of the audience. It’s in a brown envelope and they pull it out. And that’s the first time they’ve touched the script or seen it. We’ve even figured out a way to get the actors into the theater so that they don’t see the sets. So when they step on stage, everything is new to them. We have a stage manager who introduces the actors, hands them the script, and takes the envelope away. And then there’s the actor in front of the audience, opening the script for the first page.
So what could an actor do to prepare?
Really only two things. They have to be number one, terrified. And number two, courageous.
What is it like for the actors and the audience then?
Actors have to trust the people that asked them to do the show. They have to know that they’re not going to be made fools of. And then they’re off. We’ve seen the play with the same script and the two actors gave totally different performances and interpretations. So this is part actor, exercise and part social experiment. Because the actor and the audience are making the discovery at the same time. It’s fascinating.
Where is the show going to be performed and how to folks get tickets?
We’re opening Sept. 10 at the Hatbox Theater. We’re playing three weekends in September: the 10 to the 12, the 17 to the 19, and the 24 to the 26. Tickets are available at hatboxnh.com. And they range from $16 to $22. And all the seats are great.