White Rabbit Red Rabbit was written in 2010 by Iran's Nassim Soleimanpour, and he describes it not as a play, but as an experiment. At tonight's performance, there were 120 present - including the actor and the writer.
[spoiler alert]
The writer's presence is an interesting thing to note. His voice stands in for the voice of God - and perhaps whether or not you count his presence depends on your theology. But whether or not Soleimanpour is present, his instructions remain clear. At least...they are represented as such by the actor reading the text. But as an audience, we choose whether we believe her entirely. I did. We all did. We believed that every word she spoke was written in the past. Every instruction she gives is ordained by a higher power - and this trust is evident in our ready participation in the action: we obey the orders we are given. What would it take to provoke disobedience? Where is the line we refuse to cross? How much do you value human life? What is your responsibility, and what is not?
I am proud to say the audience I belonged to did not allow our actor to risk too much of herself. And she was our actor. Jess Holly Bates connected honestly with every one of us. She made eye contact with each audience member as we were proving ourselves countable and making ourselves accountable. She gained our trust and she gained our respect and we would stand up for her before we would stand up for ourselves.
Did this remarkable piece demonstrate how nationalism happens and how dictators maintain their power? Does it also comment on religious fanatics and the dangers of legalism? Does it raise questions of humanity vs society? Does it challenge us to think and to act and to live? Probably. This artwork achieves many things in its 60ish minute, not least of which was the spine-tingling terror I felt at its climax.
Bravo.
See this experiment to learn a few things about what life is and how it works.
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