Bristol student plans to put on unique one man play

It’s a stereotype to think of theatregoers as lofty types preferring to spend their evenings thinking and discussing what they’ve seen instead of delighting in light banter and drinks.

Although the entertainment value is centrepiece, theatre can be, and should be a time in which people should think about their lives and the society in which they live.

Carlos Sandin and Will Kirk, students at the University of Bristol, have started a theatre company with friends to put on the one man play, ‘White Rabbit, Red Rabbit’ by the Iranian playwrite, Nassim Soleimanpour.

I asked him why this particular play and he said, ‘I saw the play at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and I was so moved by I it, I had to put it on. I couldn’t act in it, because I know the script as I’ve seen it.’

The play is unlike other plays as it instructs that the sole actor in the show not see the script until the moment he goes on stage and gives a performance.

The actor receives a set of instructions 2 days before the performance. Its creator was not allowed to leave Iran so the play was written in light of his experiences and has travelled round the world in his place (Soleimanpour has since moved out of Iran).

Carlos told me, ‘The beauty of this production is that is has managed to travel the world. It has been performed over 1000 times and also by some very well known actors like Whoopi Goldberg.’

With every performance, a unique community is created: the play is anecdotal in style and the actor interacts with the audience, and gives them a voice. Moral questions that concern our society and how we interact each other are raised.

The actor will lead the audience to question the decisions they have made. Its an experience not to be missed.

‘White Rabbit, red rabbit,’ a production by Rasputin Theatre, will be performed in ‘The Room Above’ (in the White Bear Pub) tonight and for the next two days (1st – 3rd March)