Image provided by the company
The impact of this piece relies almost exclusively on an audience (and even, in this case, the actor themself!) not knowing what’s in store for them. I’ve been in this position once before, confronted with a decision to be relentlessly truthful, to give the game away for the sake of honesty, or be entirely cryptic to allow audiences to experience this in the purest way possible. The thing is, White Rabbit Red Rabbit premiered in 2011 and has been performed and reviewed many times, so although I wasn’t familiar with it, the cat is most assuredly out of the bag. I will try to be somewhat evasive with the details though, which is best anyway, since every performance will be radically different, by design.
Penned by Iranian writer and theatre-maker Nassim Soleimanpour, the basic conceit is that this is a cold reading—the actor is given the script in a sealed envelope and has not read or researched the play ahead of time. There is no direction, no rehearsal, not even a set except for a ladder, a chair and a table with two glasses of water next to a small bottle of “poison.” Is it really poison? That’s what everyone is there to find out!
The audience participates, some significantly, most only peripherally. People are called upon to engage—by the playwright, through the medium of the performer—by acting out scenarios, making decisions, offering various props and tools from their own on-hand possessions. As you can imagine, it can be awkward and silly and hilarious. It can also be rather troubling and poignant.
I’m sure you’re aware by now that this is very meta-theatrical, with layers of reference and meaning as Soleimanpour makes his presence known—a trapped figure reaching out across the globe through his words and directions. It feels strangely intimate even while the structure and execution are deliberately alienating. For me, at least, he did seem there in the space with us—a desperate, playful and determined spectre—and I felt compelled to also be fully present for him.
There is allegorical significance in the rabbit fables, but also the whole vibe here with people being called to action and gently press-ganged into service as an integral part of the show. There are ideas of conformity and freedom rattling about as it goes to some dark places. It’s about Iran and power and control and the way people behave as individuals in a society.
Though I admire the intention here, I’ve seen my fair share of experimental theatre and, well, this is just one example of the form. I was consistently intrigued, but I can’t say that I found myself invested in the urgency it tries to foster in the later moments. Though stakes were being raised, though it was baffling, raucous, goofy, sweet, whimsical, sober, unnerving and pedagogic… I was always conscious of the conceit.
It really is luck of the draw with this one. Though there is weight to the text and Soleimanpour’s intention, so much relies on the specific actor, audience and the way they charge the air in the space. Oh, by the way, I got to see Anand Rajaram and he was charming and sincere. Presented by One Four One Collective, Nassim Soleimanpour Productions and The Assembly Theatre in their cozy little space on Queen West, this run has a solid line-up of popular local performers.
Whether you are discerning or flippant in your choice, it’s absolutely worth the gamble.
White Rabbit Red Rabbit
February 5 to 20, 2026
The Assembly Theatre
(1479 Queen St. W.)
60 to 90 minutes (depending)
Image provided by the company