Rabbit

By Brendan Cowell

2003

Rabbit

Overview

A Frantic Assembly and The Drum, Theatre Royal Plymouth co-production in association with Lakeside, Nottingham

First performed on 12th September 2003 at The Drum, Theatre Royal Plymouth

Woman in an animal-print slip with a carrot in her mouth stands over a man. He's on his knees, head and arms to the ground, facing away from her
This post is written by: Scott Graham Artistic Director

We wanted to something different with Rabbit. Our productions generally came from an idea that was bounced between the co-artistic directors.

This was exhausting us so we decided to try to find a new play that was already in existence.

A portrait of four people. An older man and woman sit on chairs, with a younger man and woman stood behind them. The older woman and younger man are smiling; the older man and younger woman are not. Everyone's faces are somewhat in shadow which suggests menace and mild peril

While Steven was on holiday in Australia he saw posters for a play called Rabbit at a new writing venue and asked if he could see a script. This audacious request led to him calling me and suggesting we had our play.

We wanted this to be an opportunity to work with the writer Brendan Cowell on an updated version of the play.

Rabbit concerned the seemingly dysfunctional family of a cold patriarch and how is illness pulled a harsh reality into focus. It was a dark, dark comedy on death and growing up.

There is a rawness to Brendan's writing that is at times really exhilarating. It was a much more complicated world than we had engaged with before.

This was also the first time we had worked with older actors. It was another huge learning curve for us.

And it had an interval!

Gallery

  • Spot-lit woman looks into distance with a slight smile. She's holding a rabbit
  • Woman in an animal-print slip with a carrot in her mouth stands over a man. He's on his knees, head and arms to the ground, facing away from her
  • A portrait of four people. An older man and woman sit on chairs, with a younger man and woman stood behind them. The older woman and younger man are smiling; the older man and younger woman are not. Everyone's faces are somewhat in shadow which suggests menace and mild peril

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