Rabbit Hole Ensemble
Encyclopedia
Rabbit Hole Ensemble is a Brooklyn, NY based not-for-profit, Off-off Broadway theatre company. Under the Artistic Direction of Edward Elefterion, the ensemble
has produced seven original works throughout Brooklyn and Manhattan, and is currently in its third season.
Strong stories, told simply and theatrically, without much technology.
Rabbit Hole
eschews technology in favor of the collective imaginations of performers and audience. Productions are stripped-down affairs in which the actors create everything onstage, often providing music and sound effects, as well as lighting with hand-held clip lights. Sets, costumes, and props are as simple as possible. By depending on the actors to communicate everything, the ensemble develops a creative relationship with audience members, who are asked to complete the onstage images in their own imaginations.
, focusing on a lack of meaning in a cruel, godless universe, but without that genre's suspension of a linear narrative. The Transformation of Dr. Jekyll, on the other hand, maintained many of the existential questions while taking the approach of a collage-style work, using everything from traditional dramatic conflict to puppetry
in order to convey the story appropriately.
The focus of Rabbit Hole's four successive works based on Bram Stoker’s novel, Dracula
, and F.W. Murnau’s silent film, Nosferatu, was a consideration of storytelling
. In these productions, the company created and developed storytelling techniques that utilized the ensemble as a composer of atmosphere. Actor-produced lighting and sound created the impression of such settings as ships’ holds and forests (without the use of indicative set pieces), and the characterization of non-human entities such as horses to fog created environments which supported the action of the productions.
The production, A Rope in the Abyss, was both realistic
and surrealistic simultaneously, with the characters of the play based in a world with a fourth wall
, but also taking advantage of moments of metatheatre
, by acknowledging the world of the actors, and their personal connections to the piece. Like the work of Grotowski, the impulse behind the production was to use the false reality of the theatre to face its audience with the intense, and often grim, realities of the world in which they actually live.
The company's 2008 production, Big Thick Rod,
addressed the theme of exploitation
. The play contains a combination of linguistic and slapstick humor, much in the vein of the Theatre of the Ridiculous
plays of Charles Ludlam
. Big Thick Rod, by Resident Playwright Stanton Wood, premiered in the New York International Fringe Festival
, in August 2008. In 2009. Rabbit Hole Ensemble presented Shadow of Himself, by Obie Award-winning playwright Neal Bell. Stanton Wood's Candide Americana will be presented at FringeNYC in August, 2009.
, New York University
, Urban Stages, and Sun Microsystems
.
For The Night of Nosferatu
For The Night of Nosferatu
For Nosferatu: The Morning of My Death
For Nosferatu: The Morning of My Death
Big Thick Rod Official Website
Alliance of Resident Theatres/New York
Resident Artists
Edward Elefterion
Emily Hartford
Kevin Hardy
Danny Ashkenasi
Matt W. Cody
Dan Ajl Kitrosser
Ensemble cast
An ensemble cast is made up of cast members in which the principal actors and performers are assigned roughly equal amounts of importance and screen time in a dramatic production. This kind of casting became more popular in television series because it allows flexibility for writers to focus on...
has produced seven original works throughout Brooklyn and Manhattan, and is currently in its third season.
Mission statement
Rabbit Hole Ensemble emphasizes the communal nature of theatre through a distinctly minimalist aesthetic that focuses on space, audience, and the performer (especially the basic tools of physicality and voice) to produce a uniquely direct and candid experience.Strong stories, told simply and theatrically, without much technology.
Aesthetic
“If it isn’t absolutely necessary, get rid of it.”Rabbit Hole
Rabbit hole
Rabbit hole may refer to:*a rabbit burrow*"down the rabbit hole", a metaphor for adventure into the unknown, from its use in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland**a slang expression for a psychedelic experience, from the same usage...
eschews technology in favor of the collective imaginations of performers and audience. Productions are stripped-down affairs in which the actors create everything onstage, often providing music and sound effects, as well as lighting with hand-held clip lights. Sets, costumes, and props are as simple as possible. By depending on the actors to communicate everything, the ensemble develops a creative relationship with audience members, who are asked to complete the onstage images in their own imaginations.
Techniques
The company’s emphasis on a minimalist aesthetic results in works that are light on technical spectacle, creating the world of the play largely through actor-generated movement and sound. In The Siblings, an early RH production, this concept worked hand-in-hand with the existentialist material. The play had the feel of a work from the Theatre of the AbsurdTheatre of the Absurd
The Theatre of the Absurd is a designation for particular plays of absurdist fiction, written by a number of primarily European playwrights in the late 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s, as well as to the style of theatre which has evolved from their work...
, focusing on a lack of meaning in a cruel, godless universe, but without that genre's suspension of a linear narrative. The Transformation of Dr. Jekyll, on the other hand, maintained many of the existential questions while taking the approach of a collage-style work, using everything from traditional dramatic conflict to puppetry
Puppetry
Puppetry is a form of theatre or performance which involves the manipulation of puppets. It is very ancient, and is believed to have originated 30,000 years BC. Puppetry takes many forms but they all share the process of animating inanimate performing objects...
in order to convey the story appropriately.
The focus of Rabbit Hole's four successive works based on Bram Stoker’s novel, Dracula
Dracula
Dracula is an 1897 novel by Irish author Bram Stoker.Famous for introducing the character of the vampire Count Dracula, the novel tells the story of Dracula's attempt to relocate from Transylvania to England, and the battle between Dracula and a small group of men and women led by Professor...
, and F.W. Murnau’s silent film, Nosferatu, was a consideration of storytelling
Storytelling
Storytelling is the conveying of events in words, images and sounds, often by improvisation or embellishment. Stories or narratives have been shared in every culture as a means of entertainment, education, cultural preservation and in order to instill moral values...
. In these productions, the company created and developed storytelling techniques that utilized the ensemble as a composer of atmosphere. Actor-produced lighting and sound created the impression of such settings as ships’ holds and forests (without the use of indicative set pieces), and the characterization of non-human entities such as horses to fog created environments which supported the action of the productions.
The production, A Rope in the Abyss, was both realistic
Realistic
Realistic may refer to:*Realism *Realistic , a former RadioShack brand used to market audio electronics...
and surrealistic simultaneously, with the characters of the play based in a world with a fourth wall
Fourth wall
The fourth wall is the imaginary "wall" at the front of the stage in a traditional three-walled box set in a proscenium theatre, through which the audience sees the action in the world of the play...
, but also taking advantage of moments of metatheatre
Metatheatre
The term "metatheatre", coined by Lionel Abel, has entered into common critical usage; however, there is still much uncertainty over its proper definition and what dramatic techniques might be included in its scope...
, by acknowledging the world of the actors, and their personal connections to the piece. Like the work of Grotowski, the impulse behind the production was to use the false reality of the theatre to face its audience with the intense, and often grim, realities of the world in which they actually live.
The company's 2008 production, Big Thick Rod,
Big Thick Rod
Big Thick Rod is a comedy about love and exploitation by playwright Stanton Wood. The play had its world premiere, presented by Rabbit Hole Ensemble, in the New York International Fringe Festival in August 2008.-About:...
addressed the theme of exploitation
Exploitation
This article discusses the term exploitation in the meaning of using something in an unjust or cruel manner.- As unjust benefit :In political economy, economics, and sociology, exploitation involves a persistent social relationship in which certain persons are being mistreated or unfairly used for...
. The play contains a combination of linguistic and slapstick humor, much in the vein of the Theatre of the Ridiculous
Playhouse of the Ridiculous
The Theatre of the Ridiculous is a theatrical genre that began as an American movement in New York in 1965 with the beginnings of "The Play-House of the Ridiculous" and the spin-off group formed in 1967 "The Ridiculous Theatrical Company"....
plays of Charles Ludlam
Charles Ludlam
Charles Braun Ludlam was an American actor, director, and playwright.-Early life:Ludlam was born in Floral Park, New York, the son of Marjorie and Joseph William Ludlam. He was raised in Greenlawn, New York, on Long Island, and attended Harborfields High School. The fact that he was gay was not a...
. Big Thick Rod, by Resident Playwright Stanton Wood, premiered in the New York International Fringe Festival
New York International Fringe Festival
The New York International Fringe Festival, or FringeNYC, is a Fringe theater festival and one of the largest multi-arts events in North America. It takes place over the course of two weeks every August, spread across several neighborhoods in downtown Manhattan, notably the Lower East Side, the...
, in August 2008. In 2009. Rabbit Hole Ensemble presented Shadow of Himself, by Obie Award-winning playwright Neal Bell. Stanton Wood's Candide Americana will be presented at FringeNYC in August, 2009.
Support
Rabbit Hole Ensemble is a 501(c)3 non-profit company that relies on donations from supporters. The company is a member of the Alliance of Resident Theatres/New York, and receives production assistance from The Puffin Foundation, Brooklyn Arts Council, The Nancy Quinn Fund, The Edith Lutyens and Norman Bel Geddes Foundation, New York Theatre WorkshopNew York Theatre Workshop
__notoc__New York Theatre Workshop is an Off-Broadway theatre noted for its productions of new works. Located at 79 East 4th Street between Second Avenue and the Bowery in the East Village neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, it houses a 198-seat theatre for its mainstage productions, and a...
, New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
, Urban Stages, and Sun Microsystems
Sun Microsystems
Sun Microsystems, Inc. was a company that sold :computers, computer components, :computer software, and :information technology services. Sun was founded on February 24, 1982...
.
Works
- 2005 – The Transformation of Dr. Jekyll (also 2006; New York International Fringe Festival)
- 2006 – The Siblings (Midtown International Theatre Festival)
- 2006 – Nosferatu: Part I
- 2007 – The Land of the Undead
- 2007 – Nosferatu: The Morning of My Death (Midtown International Theatre Festival)
- 2007 – The Night of Nosferatu (picked up from its Manhattan run by Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theatre; Wellfleet, MA)
- 2008 – A Rope in the Abyss
- 2008 - Big Thick Rod (picked up from its FringeNYC run by The Access Theater Spotlight Series)
- 2009 - Shadow of Himself (by Obie-winner Neal Bell)
- 2009 - Candide Americana (upcoming)
Awards and honors
- 2008 - Outstanding Direction: Edward Elefterion, New York Innovative Theatre Award
- 2008 - Outstanding Lighting Design: Kevin Hardy, New York Innovative Theatre Award
For The Night of Nosferatu
- 2008 - Nominated, New York Innovative Theatre Awards:
-
- Outstanding Overall Production of a Play
- Outstanding Full Length Script: Stanton Wood
- Outstanding Featured Actress: Tatiana Gomberg
- Outstanding Ensemble: Danny Ashkenasi, Matt W. Cody, Paul Daily, Tatiana Gomberg, Emily Hartford, Ned Massey
For The Night of Nosferatu
- 2007 – “Top 10 of 2007,” Popshifter.com: The Night of Nosferatu
- 2007 – “Best Cape Theatre 2007,” Cape Cod Times: The Night of Nosferatu
- 2006 – Outstanding Direction: Edward Elefterion, Midtown International Theatre Festival “Best of the Fest Award”
For Nosferatu: The Morning of My Death
- 2006 – Nominated, Midtown International Theatre Festival “Best of the Fest Awards”
-
- Outstanding Overall Production of a New Play
- Outstanding Ensemble: Danny Ashkenasi, Matt W. Cody, Paul Daily, Emily Hartford, Jenna Kalinowski, David Miceli
- Outstanding Lead Actress: Jenna Kalinowski
- Outstanding Lighting Design: Edward Elefterion
For Nosferatu: The Morning of My Death
Community
In the spring of 2008, Rabbit Hole Ensemble founded a new initiative to bring theatre to underserved communities. With the original production, A Rope in the Abyss, as its cornerstone, the project brought free performances to sites throughout Brooklyn, NY, including homeless shelters, assisted living facilities, and hospitals. A Rope in the Abyss, a new play about neuroscience, brain injury, and the tenuous nature of identity, was presented in partnership with the Brain Injury Association of New York State. The project brought together hundreds of Brooklyn residents across five different neighborhoods, and will be continued annually, with a new show each year, as part of Rabbit Hole Ensemble's regular season.External links
Big Thick Rod Official Website
Alliance of Resident Theatres/New York
Resident Artists
Edward Elefterion
Emily Hartford
Kevin Hardy
Danny Ashkenasi
Matt W. Cody
Dan Ajl Kitrosser