CREDIT: WRRR.LONDONTHEATRE.CA
You can spot the rabbit in London, quick – hop to it!

Enter a world where no two nights are ever the same.

Running from March 7 to 29 at The Arts Project (203 Dundas St.), White Rabbit, Red Rabbit invites audiences to catch the rabbit once or even all 12 times. Leap of Fate Theatre in association with Aurora Nova Productions presents this experience that will change your perception of theatre.

White Rabbit, Red Rabbit is a solo show in which actors take the script for themselves and act out the contents before the audience — it's a different actor each night reading one script that they have never seen before with no rehearsals, no director, no set. Each variation that unfolds is a masterpiece of its own; there are endless ways each night could turn out. The outcome of each performance relies on what both the actor and the audience bring together.

“The way that it's put together is unlike any other play,” explained producer Peter Janes. “It has a funny yet dark tone and room for improvisation around the set script.” Excitement is in the air, the anticipation to see White Rabbit, Red Rabbit pull together on stage without any rehearsals.

Janes first came across the production when he read a review and immediately knew he wanted to bring it to London for the first time as his first production. White Rabbit, Red Rabbit is a production by Nassim Soleimanpour; it's a theatrical experiment that has emphasized the possibility of theatre. Internationally renowned, it first premiered in 2011 in Edinburgh and has since been translated in 15 languages and performed over 200 times. The powerful production has now made its way to London.

The actors involved have come from all around the community, bringing different experience and talent to the production. Adam Holowitz, one of the actors from AlvegoRoot Theatre Company, jumped at the chance to be a part of the production and experience the art of being in the moment even more than usual. He said he believes that it emphasizes the importance of approaching a script with no baggage or opinions and performing based on the first “hit” or impulse that dictates the rest of your performance.

“It's like walking a tight rope; if you drop out, you fall, but if you stay in your body and feelings, then some really great stuff can possible happen.”

Likewise, actor Francesca Ranalli, co-ordinator and professor of Theatre Arts at Fanshawe College, was interested by the unique concept. She has resisted doing her normal research and preparation, challenging herself to omit the rehearsal process. “[Whether] results may be ‘good' or ‘bad,' I suppose, it will be honest and real, which is at heart what theatre must be.”

There is anticipation in the air and Janes is excited to see the entire production pull together. As an experience that pushes the actors' comfort levels and surprises the audience, it is a must-see show.

“This calls upon a lot of what we have been working on in training, it puts one's feet to the fire,” said Holowitz, and despite previous training, there is not much more that can be done for this particular performance, except taking the plunge and embracing it.

Ranalli knows it will be an experience for the audience as much as the actor. “[It's] interesting in that the roles are reversed in some ways — the audience will have more information and knowledge than the actor.” As an experience for the audience, she reflected that the difficulty will be there for each actor, but that they will each bring their own experience, knowledge and passing impulses affecting them that day.

White Rabbit, Red Rabbit tickets are $20 for adults and $18 for students (bring student identification), available online and at the door. Interested in seeing a different actor's take? Bring your ticket stub to another show for the entrance price of $5. For more information, you can visit wrrr.londontheatre.ca or email wrrr@peterjanes.ca.