LEAP INTO THE UNKNOWN: Big Dawg Theatre invites audiences (and actors) to experience the unknowns of 'White Rabbit Red Rabbit'

Disclosure: The author currently serves on the Board of Directors of Big Dawg Theatre Company. This relationship is disclosed to ensure transparency and does not influence the reporting.

The proposition of stepping on stage can be scary, the source of nightmares even. Now, imagine stepping on stage with no knowledge of the show you are about to perform—on purpose. The only thing you know for sure is that the script is in a red sealed envelope, you have to do the show, and the fact that you assigned yourself to whatever circle of hell this is. 

That’s exactly what a group of local actors have signed up for with Big Dawg Theatre Company’s upcoming production of “White Rabbit Red Rabbit.”

The solo play, written by Iranian playwright Nassim Soleimanpour, premiered in 2011 at Edinburgh Fringe as a “message in a bottle,” since the author was barred from leaving Iran. Since then, the show has been performed over 3,000 times, in over 30 languages.

The show has no director, no rehearsals, basically no set, and opens with the performer du jour being handed a sealed envelope containing a script they have never seen. To perform in the show, the actor can have never read the script, or seen the show, and must also vow to keep the secret going. The performer and the audience are on a journey together, experiencing the script for the first time, together, raw, as no one else has before, or will again.

Given the challenging nature of approaching such a show, and the fact that no one can talk about it outside of its existence, I asked the cast a simple question: ​Why?

The answers I received largely lingered around a few factors (with some relatively consistent crossover):

The “Once-in-a-lifetime” factor.

Kaleb Edley: This is one of the only times I, as an actor, can really, actually, say these words for the first time in a performance and live in the world of the play not knowing what’s going to happen next just like everyone else in the theatre. 

Chad Hsu: The thing that got me with this show, is the fact that you can't see it if you want to perform it, and you can't perform it if you've ever seen it. So, the once-in-a-lifetime facet of this show is what made me audition to perform it. 

The “Why Not” factor.

Anthony Lawson: Why wouldn't you want to do something new and unknown?  I love Rocky Horror and Little Shop, but at some point you just go, "cool, but have any other shows ever been written?"

Jamey Stone: Because it was one of the most frightening career opportunities I had ever come across.

The "Curious Experience” factor.

Steve Vernon: I wanted to do this show for a couple of reasons, mainly the excitement of going in blind and discovering something with the audience and forming a connection with them that we don't often get to experience as actors.

Morganna Bridgers: Presumably, there are lines and stage direction, but no time to build a character or a world. It feels more like an invitation to step out from behind the usual masks and see what happens - and I find that kind of experiment thrilling.

Some had more practical reasons...

Anthony Lawson: I'm thrilled to do a show that lets me spend as much time with my dog as possible.  

Steve Vernon: I'm looking forward to using my lack-of-preparation-skills in a positive way!

One notable exception was actually more of a foretelling by none other than the long-time Wilmington actor and recently retired theatre professor Ed Wagonseller. 

Anthony Lawson: I once heard that Ed Wagonseller would tell his classes, "No one can act with a script in their hands, unless they're Anthony Lawson...” [The original quote is slightly longer, but this seems the most charitable ending point]. 

Past notable performers include Whoopi Goldberg, Nathan Lane, Wayne Brady, and George Takei. Big Dawg’s production has its own list of notables involved, namely:

• Morganna Bridgers

• Randy Davis

• Kaleb Edley

• Chad Hsu

• Anthony Lawson

• Cathy Street

• Heather Setzler

• Jamey Stone

• Erin Sullivan-Wertz (alternate)

• Steve Vernon

This pack of local theatrical stalwarts and miscreants boasts a literal boatload of credits and awards, with a mix of stage, screen, comedy, improv, and often a spattering of all of the above on their respective resumes. You may recognize some names from the upcoming Theatre Awards nominations, or past awardees, this is a stacked deck.

In, somewhat, keeping with the theme of the show, the performer each night is a loosely held secret, that can be decoded with some (very) brief social media sleuthing, or just asking. This show is truly unique and worth a revisit, even if it is the next night. Every show is a new experience.

Tickets are on sale now, at thalianhall.org, and as of publishing there may be some limited two-show passes still available at bigdawgproductions.org/wrrr 

The show runs in the Ruth & Bucky Stein Studio Theatre at Thalian Hall Thursday through Sunday, opening this Thursday, February 12th and running through February 22nd. Performance times are 7:30 p.m. Thu-Sat, with Sunday matinees at 3 p.m.