Shoot the Moon Theater Company Presents “White Rabbit Red Rabbit” September 20-21, 27-28 at Hooker Dunham Theater

SHOOT THE MOON THEATER COMPANY PRESENTS WHITE RABBIT RED RABBIT, SEPTEMBER 20-21, 27-28 AT HOOKER DUNHAM THEATER

Iranian playwright’s work, which mandates “no rehearsals, no director, no set,” assures four unique and adventurous evenings of theater, September 20-21, 27-28.

BRATTLEBORO, VT — Shoot the Moon Theater Company has earned a reputation for out-of-the-box presentations during its four years as the company in-residence at the Hooker Dunham Theater, but this next project may be their boldest yet.

White Rabbit Red Rabbit is an internationally acclaimed one-person play by Nassim Soleimanpour with very rigid guidelines for how it can be performed. The first being that the actor is not allowed to read the script until they open the sealed copy waiting for them on stage.

What’s more, the same actor is not allowed to perform the piece more than once. Thus, the one-person show will be performed on four nights by four actors with local ties, starting with Rebecca Waxman on Friday, September 20; Robert Kramsky on Saturday, September 21; Evan O’Sullivan on Friday, September 27, and Marilyn Tullgren on Saturday, September 28. All show times are 7:30 p.m.

“The actors are not even allowed to research the play. They get two pages of directions from the playwright about 48 hours prior to the performance,” said Joshua Moyse, the artistic director of Shoot the Moon Theater Company.

The New York Times called White Rabbit Red Rabbit a “playful, enigmatic and haunting solo show” when it ran off-Broadway. Performers who took on the text during that 2016 run included Nathan Lane, Whoopi Goldberg, Patrick Wilson, Brian Dennehy, Cynthia Nixon, George Takei, Rachel Dratch and Alan Cumming.

The Iranian playwright Soleimanpour conceived White Rabbit Red Rabbit when he was forbidden to leave his native country. Press materials are careful to point out that his intention for the work is more metaphorical than political, with the goal being “a work about contemporary Iran” and its “generation of computer-literate, well-informed young people who have never known an Iran other than the Islamic Republic.”

Other than selecting the work, Moyse has had very little to do with this production due to its “no director” requirement, although Alistair Follansbee does serve in his customary role as stage manager. Still, Moyse is very excited about the prospects of the experience.

“This is Soleimanpour’s message in a bottle. Although it’s not a cry for rescue, rather it’s a cry for community,” says Moyse. “This play is funny and poignant, and one of its joys is seeing how the different performers approach the work.”

To that end, Shoot The Moon is offering a special $35 ticket price to attend all four performance nights. Tickets for individual shows will be $15. Advance tickets can be purchased at www.shootthemoontheater.com.