BWW Interviews: RABBIT HOLE to Debut at The Black Box Arts Center

This Friday, Rabbit Hole, the 2007 Pulitzer Prize-winning play, will debut at the recently opened Black Box Arts Center in Shepherdstown, WV. Directed by Julie Bloomquist, Rabbit Hole tells the seemingly simple, yet emotionally complex story of individual family members all dealing with the death of a young child. Married couple Becca and Howie have lost their four year old son after he was accidentally hit by a car. The family struggles to cope with the loss as Becca's sister, Izzy, is currently pregnant and Becca's mother, Nat, attempts to comfort her daughters and hold the fragile family together.

With such an emotional and intimate show, working on character depth and a wide range of emotions was extremely important to the small cast.

"I think the biggest challenge in developing my character was the fact that she's much more restrained, emotionally, than I am. While I could empathize a great deal with her and the circumstances she finds herself in, I naturally handle relationships and reactions much differently than she does. She's much more stoic" said Laura Richards Bakin, who plays Nat.

"My character is completely different from me. Our director actually had to tell me at one point to stop sounding so educated! Izzy is the exact opposite of me and that's challenging but fun" said Caitlin Louden on playing Izzy.

The Black Box Arts Center is a recently opened theater in Shepherdstown and the unique space allows for very intimate staging of the powerful show.

"The Black Box Arts Center is a really intimate space. The small size of the space increases the intensity of the energy you feel from the audience. It's unlike working in a more traditional proscenium space. We get a lot of positive feedback about the dynamics from our audiences. Especially for shows like this one, audience members really feel like a fly on the wall of this family's home. It's a much keener experience than something you view from a hundred feet away" said Bakin.

"We leave you wondering if everyone is going to be okay. And we leave that decision to you. I think that is what makes this show so unique not only to Black Box Arts Center, but to this area. This show will make you think and make you cry. No one wants to lose their child this young, but this show takes that horrible incident and makes you examine a family who is going through that exact experience. It will make you wonder: what would I do?" said Louden

The cast is ready to present the thought-provoking drama to an audience this weekend.

"This script is very eloquent. The challenges that the family is facing are very similar to challenges all of us face with those closest to us. Audiences will find a lot to relate to and will also be amused by much of it. Lindsay-Abaire is a very witty author, and the humorous moments in the play are truly funny. It's a very rich work and this production really marks a come-back of a more diverse theater season on Princess Street" said Bakin.

"This cast comes together to present this heart breaking story so wonderfully that the audience will think they are a fly on the wall of a real life situation. It makes you think. It makes you laugh. It makes you cry" said Louden.

The Rabbit Hole cast also features Rhonda Kisner as Becca, Charles Boyce as Howie and John McGee as Jason. Rabbit Hole will run March 13, 14, 15, 20, 21 and 22 at the Black Box Arts Center, located at 113 South Princess Street, Shepherdstown, WV. Friday and Saturday performances are at 8:00 PM and Sunday matinee performances are at 2:30 PM. All seats are general admission. Friday and Saturday evening tickets are $15.00, Sunday matinee tickets are $12.00, and student tickets $8.00 for all performances. Tickets are available online at blackboxartscenter.org or at the box office. For more information, please call 304-870-4685

Photo Credit: Black Box Arts Center

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