Artists Rep Announces WHITE RABBIT RED RABBIT By Nassim Soleimanpour
By: Julie Musbach Mar. 23, 2018
Artists Repertory Theatre, in association with Aurora Nova Productions and Boat Rocker Entertainment, presents White Rabbit Red Rabbit by Nassim Soleimanpour featuring one local actor for each show who performs the play cold. This one-weekend engagement is the final production of Artists Rep's 2017/18 FRONTIER SERIES which brings new work in performance to Portland. White Rabbit Red Rabbit will run for only four performances Thursday, April 12 through Sunday April 15, 2018
White Rabbit Red Rabbit has been called a play. But, it's a lively, global sensation that no-one is allowed to talk about. Slyly humorous and audaciously pointed, this 'theatre entertainment meets social experiment' is unlike anything else, and encourages audiences to question everything.
The play is written by award-winning Iranian playwright Nassim Soleimanpour. In spite of not being able to leave his country to escort his work to the stage, Soleimanpour got his play out of Iran in 2011. His words escaped censorship, have now been translated into over 25 languages, and interact with actors and audiences worldwide.
As the performance begins, the play, in a sealed envelope, is presented to a guest actor who encounters it for the first time. This actor, on stage now to perform immediately, has never seen the script or the play - and they've only been told what is absolutely necessary. There is a new actor for every performance. No rehearsals. No director. No set.
The actors cast for White Rabbit Red Rabbit performances in Portland are: Susannah Mars*^ (April 12), John San Nicolas*^ (April 13), Ayanna Berkshire*^ (April 14), and Darius Pierce* (April 15).
* Member of Actors' Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers
^Artists Rep Resident Artist
"White Rabbit Red Rabbit is both unpredictable and unforgettable -it's easy to see why it has become one of the most talked about theatre experiences across the world right now" said Jerry Tischleder, Frontier Series curator. "I knew very little about it (as intended) before I saw it in Los Angeles last year. The experience was super-charged, the performer and the audience were both hyper-present, and connected, as we all discovered what we were creating together. White Rabbit Red Rabbit has very smart and playful language, but the real joy is watching how the performer reacts to what they're being asked to say, and do on the spot. The show hits on personal, political, and emotional levels - all while pushing the envelope of how theatre is created and shared as an art form. I honestly cannot think of a single person that wouldn't enjoy it and can't wait to see the reactions from both Portland audiences and the incredible team of actors we've assembled."
ABOUT Nassim Soleimanpour | Playwright
Nassim Soleimanpour is an independent multidisciplinary theatre maker from Tehran, Iran. His plays have been translated into more than 20 languages. Best known for his play White Rabbit Red Rabbit, written to travel the world when he couldn't, his work has been awarded the Dublin Fringe Festival Best New Performance, Summerworks Outstanding New Performance Text Award, and The Arches Brick Award (Edinburgh Fringe) as well as picking up nominations for a Total Theatre and Brighton Fringe Pick of Edinburgh Award.
By the time Nassim was permitted to travel for the first time in early 2013, his play White Rabbit Red Rabbit had been performed over 200 times in 15 languages. Since then Nassim has facilitated workshops and panels in different countries including World Theatre Festival (Brisbane), Tolhuistuin (Amsterdam), SESC Vila Mariana (Sao Paulo), Schauspielhaus (Vienna), DPAC (Kuala Lampur), Theatretreffen (Berlin), British Council (London), Asia House (London), and University of Bremen (Germany).
His latest play Nassim is now touring internationally with recent visits to London, Edinburgh, Sydney, Melbourne, Seoul, and Copenhagen. Nassim now lives in Berlin with his wife Shirin and dog Echo.
ABOUT ARTISTS REPERTORY THEATRE
Artists Repertory Theatre's mission is to produce intimate, provocative theatre and provide a home for artists and audiences to take creative risks. Artists Rep is Portland's premiere mid-size regional theatre company, and is led by Artistic Director/Interim Managing Director Dámaso Rodríguez. Founded in 1982, Artists Repertory Theatre is the longest-running professional theatre company in Portland. Artists Rep became the 72nd member of the League of Resident Theatres (LORT) in 2016 and is an Associate Member of the National New Play Network (NNPN).
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