ArtsEmerson, Boston’s leading presenter of contemporary world theater and film and the professional presenting and producing organization of Emerson College, is thrilled to bring Iranian playwright Nassim Soleimanpour’s original play, White Rabbit Red Rabbit to audiences as a virtual theatre offering from December 7 through 12. This contemporary piece features a different actor each night who reads the play for the first time in front of a live virtual audience. From there the actor gives their interpretation of the words of Soleimanpour – resulting in a theatrical experience that can never be replicated.
Soleimanpour wrote White Rabbit Red Rabbit in 2010 while he was forbidden from leaving his home country because of his refusal to participate in military service. The play dissects power in a wild, truly original structure, pairing the experience of isolation with daring, unexpected comedy. A new actor will open the script in front of a live virtual audience for the first and last time during the play’s run at ArtsEmerson; in total, six actors will perform the piece as part of this engagement.
“We all changed in the many months of navigating a global pandemic, and White Rabbit Red Rabbit is no exception,” says playwright Nassim Soleimanpour. “Rabbit is a tough play. I say tough because the original play was written under certain circumstances and it was written to overcome my travel restrictions. So it was natural for this particular play to be adapted during the lockdowns.”
To support Soleimanpour’s desire to reimagine his hit play as a virtual theatre experience, ArtsEmerson offered a virtual residency, providing technical collaboration, and in February of this year, two workshop presentations were given to audience comprised of members of ArtsEmerson’s long-running Play Reading Book Club, with post-performance Q&As that allowed audiences to connect with Soleimanpour and discuss the experience of the virtual presentation.
“Nassim has been a celebrated artist here at Emerson College and ArtsEmerson for quite some time, and we are very excited to be presenting his widely admired White Rabbit Red Rabbit,” says David Howse, Executive Director at ArtsEmerson. “This work is utterly original, and it’s a piece about contemporary Iran and Nassim’s generation – we can assure our audiences they won’t ever see something quite like this.”
Since its joint premiere in 2011 in Edinburgh and Summerworks festival, White Rabbit Red Rabbit has been translated into more than 25 different languages and been performed over 2000 times by some of the biggest names in theatre and film including actors John Hurt, Whoopi Goldberg, Nathan Lane, Stephen Rea, Sinead Cusack, Marcus Brigstocke, Dominic West and Laura Linney.
Tickets for White Rabbit Red Rabbit may be purchased 24/7 at ArtsEmerson.org, or by calling 617-824-8400 (Tue-Sat from 12:00PM ET – 6:00PM ET). For walk-up service, the Paramount Center Box Office (559 Washington Street, Boston) is open Thu-Sat from Noon – 6:00 PM ET. Tickets may also be purchased as part of an ArtsEmerson Season Package, featuring discounts up to 40% off. Groups of 10+ attending a performance save up to 30%. Thanks to generous support from Rockland Trust, a limited number of $10 Mobile Rush tickets will be available at 10:00 AM ET each performance day on a first-come, first-served basis, exclusively through the TodayTix mobile app. For more information, please click on “General Public’’ when you visit ArtsEmerson’s Offers web page.
Performance Schedule:
Tuesday, December 07, 2021 7:30pm (Press Performance)
Wednesday, December 08, 2021 7:30pm
Thursday, December 09, 2021 7:30pm
Friday, December 10, 2021 8:00pm
Saturday, December 11, 2021 8:00pm
Sunday, December 12, 2021 2:00pm
Content Warning:
Recommended for audiences 14+, ArtsEmerson understands that certain types of content could trigger past traumatic experiences for some viewers. Please be aware that this production contains scenes discussing suicide.
Ticket Information:
Tickets for White Rabbit Red Rabbit may be purchased 24/7 at ArtsEmerson.org. Phone orders and group sales are available by calling the ArtsEmerson Box Office at 617-824-8400 (open Tue-Sat from 12:00PM ET – 6:00PM ET). The Paramount Center Box Office (559 Washington Street, Boston) is open for walk-up service Thu-Sat from 12:00PM ET – 6:00 PM ET. Tickets may also be purchased as part of an ArtsEmerson Season Package, featuring discounts up to 40% off. Groups of 10+ attending a performance save 30%.
Tickets cost $35 (subject to change)