Rabbit Resource Pack - Frantic Assembly

Rabbit
BY BRENDAN COWELL
A COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE TO RABBIT
For students (aged 16+), teachers & arts educationalists.
By Scott Graham

Contents
PAGE
HOW? WHY? WHO?
Discovering Rabbit 3
Directors’ Notes (from the published script) 3
The creative team and why these people? 3
CHAPTER 1 STARTING POINTS - OVERVIEW - THE PLAY
The Family 4
The Real World:
The City vs Nature 5
Paul vs Madeline 5
Drugs vs The Real World 7
Feeling vs Thinking 7
Frank vs Marshall 8
The King is Dead! Long live the King! 8
Shakespeare and Rabbit 8
The Rabbit 9
CHAPTER 2 BUILDING THE SHOW
Writer/Director relationship 9
Design Concept 10
Finding a Cast - The Process and our Requirements 11
From Page to Stage 12
Deadly Avenger and the Rabbit Soundtrack 13
CHAPTER 3 FINDING CHARACTERS
Character Insights 14
Who are these people? 14
A Physical Company - Approaches to Physical Scenes 15
CHAPTER 4 ESSAY SUGGESTIONS 17
BIBLIOGRAPHY 18
FRANTIC ASSEMBLY CAST LIST / CREATIVE / PR 18
How to use this guide
Following the success of the Peepshow Education pack we have decided to create a specific
education document for Rabbit.
This guide has been created for those teaching and studying drama and theatre at AS Level and
above, as well as those with an interest in how Frantic Assembly creates a new show. The aim is to
create a document that is accessible and relevant to all.
We understand that as education specialists you are much better qualified to judge the
abilities and strengths of your students. Any suggested practical work or essay titles are
purely suggested and should be adapted, tailored, and extended to suit the needs of the class.
Much of this guide charts the development of Rabbit. This approach is in direct response to the
many requests we receive for some kind of insight into the creative process and hopefully offers
advice and inspiration for teachers and students looking at how to create ‘physical’ theatre.
Where this guide may differ from the previous Peepshow guide is in its focus on the script of the
play. As this was a different creative process for us (working from an existing script) we felt that the
guide should reflect the way the play was always the focus. The current play (published by Oberon,
ISBN: 1 84002 394 5) is the result of the development weeks with the writer Brendan Cowell and
the cast. All quotes are accompanied by page numbers and are correct at time of going to print.
We feel that discussing the work alongside a detailed knowledge of the existing play will give a
fascinating insight into the choices made and the problems solved. It will allow students to study
individual scenes and approach them with their own creativity and not just consider their work
on Rabbit as purely critical analysis.
We hope you find this resource an informative tool to support your teaching. As ever, Frantic
Assembly remains committed to the value and importance of education within our work. We
hope this guide helps to enhance your students’ enjoyment and engagement with Rabbit, and that
you find the information an exciting resource for your teaching needs.

How? Why? Who?
DISCOVERING RABBIT
Rabbit was the result of a long search by the company throughout
autumn 2002 and into 2003. After years of working to create new
scripts as part of our development process, we decided to find an
existing play that had yet to be performed. After contacting various
agents, the Frantic office was soon piled high with scripts which
through the dark months of autumn were filed according to our
humble but essential opinion. During this time we eventually met with
several writers and though those meetings were all extremely rewarding,
we still found ourselves without that piece we were now desperate to
find. After having set ourselves a Christmas deadline, it was with some
anxiety that we admitted temporary defeat and took our Christmas
holidays with a plan to resume the search in the new year.
Steven escaped to Australia for this period and after spending New
Year in Sydney was wandering through the city with his actress friend
Susie Lindeman when they walked past the Griffin Theatre which had
just revealed the programme for their new season. Outside was a
poster for an upcoming premiere of a play called Rabbit. The poster
featured an old man stood naked in a forest holding a bunny. Blown
away by the poster alone, Steven asked Susie what she knew of the
show. Knowing nothing about the show but everything about the
director of the theatre, Will Sheehan, Susie set up a meeting for the
following day. Within twenty four hours, Will had handed over a
script and Steven was on the phone to the Frantic office with the
words “I think we’ve got it”.
Two days later, after a consensus from the Frantic office that this was
indeed everything we had been looking for, Steven met Brendan Cowell
in Sydney and informed him of the plans to create a Frantic Rabbit.
Brendan swore a lot which Steven took to be an affirmative response.
Seven drafts and nine months later, our Frantic Rabbit is ready...
DIRECTORS’ NOTES
(FROM THE PUBLISHED SCRIPT)
In the past, Frantic shows were normally born out of conversations
between ourselves as to what concerned us at a particular point in our
lives. For this project, it was our intention to set ourselves a new
challenge and search for an existing play that we could then Franticise.
After many dark, autumnal months of relentless script reading and no
result, we decided to take a break and resume our search in the new year.
As is often the case with Frantic, results came up when we least
expected it. A stroll past the Griffin Theatre in Sydney and a
particularly eye-catching poster lead to our discovery of Brendan
Cowell’s Rabbit which was due to premiere in Australia.
Reading Rabbit was a profound experience. As a creative team, our
normal practise was to talk about how we felt and then look to create
a script from these ideas. With Rabbit, we found a play that
contained and explored ideas that we hadn’t realised had been
trapped in our heads. Events over the last two years have very much
challenged and redefined our understanding and experience of the
term ‘family’. We found this play remarkable in its bravery, its
unflinching commitment to exposing the darker parts of our
personalities. As a play, it contained so much and yet afforded us the
opportunity to create, both physically and directorially, with the
delicate and complex ‘spaces’ that exist between the five characters.
The bravery of the play has been matched in every way by Brendan and
the cast. Brendan’s willingness and desire to experiment is complemented
by a brilliant cast whose energy, creativity and trust has and is creating a
rehearsal process that is inspirational for us. The skill and generosity of
the creative team assembled here has meant that working on something
like this has only ever been a joy. For that – thanks. Spex to you all…..
As for the rest of you – we hope this play hurts and heals in equal measure.
Scott Graham and Steven Hoggett August 2003
P.S. Yeah, we can’t believe there’s an interval either…..
3
THE CREATIVE TEAM AND WHY
THESE PEOPLE?
For this production we re-enlisted the expertise of designer Dick Bird
and production Manager Jai Lusser. It is always a pleasure working
with these two and we dread the day that our diaries don’t match or
we simply can’t afford them!
We had worked really briefly, years ago, with lighting designer
Giuseppe di Iorio and we were mightily impressed with all that he
brought to the creative process. we were really excited about working
with what, compared to the others, would be a relatively unknown
quantity. Again, we were more than impressed!
We also worked with Nick Manning for the first time. We don’t
normally work with sound effects but Nick’s work was intuitive and
enlightening. It plays a massive part in the creation of atmosphere in
the woods.
For our technical stage manager and our company stage manager we
wanted people with personality but also that creative input and
engagement to keep the show alive while it is on tour. Even with this
tough criteria I think we got lucky with Heidi Riley and Tom Cotterill.
Other collaborators who impressed us greatly were Paula Eden (who
created the trees, foliage and the rabbit carcass!) and Belinda Clisham
(who created the stunning vista outside the Cave residence).
Thanks also to Hattie Barsby for her patience and inspiration in all
things costume!

CHAPTER 1 Starting points - Overview - The Play
THE FAMILY
Rabbit is about the clash of different worlds. Different spheres on a
collision course.
All families face generational conflict, misunderstandings and general
dysfunction. The Cave family is no different.
While here the younger generation possess a vibrancy, a passion, a
sexual charge that appears lost in the elder generation, they also
possess a naivety, a selfishness, a self righteous quality that can only
present itself to an older, ‘wiser’ generation as folly. Been there, done
that, bought the T-shirt.
The older generation here can be accused of a cynicism, a direct
denial of optimism, that strips the world of any form of hope. They
are cold, ignorant of how the world has changed and how priorities
have altered since their day.
They would of course point out that this is a natural process of
enlightenment to the true nature of the world that develops through
age and experience and is denied to the idealistic over-simplistic (or is
it overcomplicated?) world of their offspring.
What is equally abhorrent to both generations is that one spawned
the other and the mutation from one into the other over time is
unavoidable. It is also a process of loss and acquisition. What Paul has
gained in material worth and worldly knowledge he has lost in
freedom and spontaneity.
Paul
Kate
(about Madeline and Spin) Why were they scurrying?
Paul, you’re not at work now. They were scurrying.
We used to scurry. It’s not illegal. (p.29)
The problem is that Paul and Madeline exist purely in their own worlds. They are the pilots of their spheres, shaping their
own destinies. At least that is how it seems. What will shatter this illusion is the bombshell of Paul’s mortality and both
enter a new phase of understanding. Their worlds are blown apart yet they are both united under the shadow of mortality.
This is a natural and inevitable stage in life. One that causes us to reassess the way we choose to live and challenges the
perceived roles of parents and children. Madeline challenges Paul’s dominance in the family but when Paul betrays his own
fragility it tests her own willingness to grow up. If growing up is about death, who would want to grow up?
Despite Madeline’s protests she is used to the material benefits she receives from her father
Kate You should have respect for your father. He does a lot for you.
Madeline He does it with money, Mum. Cars. Phones. Rent. Spin says: The more plastic parenting you receive the more
you lack in such things as independence, self worth and - other things. dad has denied me my right to learn
how to live in the real world
Kate Well darling, why don’t you give back the money, hand over the car, return the phone, move out of the apartment?
He’s not forcing them on you.
Madeline I’ve adjusted. I’m conditioned now. I’d be lost without my things. (p.65)
With her father strong, outspoken, larger than life, she has her clearly defined role in life. That of rebel, crusader for an
alternative lifestyle. Ironically what she needs most of all is status quo. Her world relies upon the monster that is her father
as master of his world, a world diametrically opposed to her own. This gives her a drive, a purpose, but ultimately, just like
Spin, it gives her an excuse.
Spin (about the death of his parents in a glider accident) And I knew that I didn’t feel that good. And I knew I didn’t
feel that bad. I just knew I’d be okay from now on. Cos - I had an excuse. (p.79)
What do you think Spin means by ‘an excuse’? Who else has ‘an excuse’ for their behaviour?
Madeline is about to be forced to grow up and take on a new role in her family. In losing her father she also loses her excuse.
She is also the only character apart from Paul who takes on board what a change Paul’s demise will bring about. By contrast
Kate sets about replacing Paul, maintaining the status quo and in turn maintaining her own ‘excuse’. She has her place in
her world of baked rabbit and pinot noir. It is this world that shapes and excuses her actions.
Rabbit presents a really desperate view of family. It appears to be an arena of hate and blame rather than a structure of
support and encouragement. Madeline instinctively knows the provocative way her parents behave.
Madeline
Mum will just flit around the kitchen guzzling plonk and stating the obvious, and Dad will play all cryptic and bitter. (p.22)
While she is not at all wrong it becomes clear that this is the only behaviour she knows and could deal with. When her Dad
betrays his fragility she breaks down and is unable to speak. At last Paul and Madeline share something as they sit in silence
for the rest of the play and contemplate their loss. The moment where they find each other and silently dance together is
probably the most genuine moment of connection in the whole play.
4

THE REAL WORLD
The City vs Nature
The Cave family meet up in the country for a weekend of red wine
and home truths. Paul sips on his expensive Belgian beer as Kate
unpacks the groceries. In the corner of the plush room a live rabbit
spends its last hours in a box, destined to be served up ‘with a
garnish of burnt cabbage leaves tangled round twice steamed baby
carrots.’ This is city dwellers taking well earned R ‘n’ R.
Nature, as the rabbit, appears to be beating in a box, completely
defeated and doomed, surrounded by the modern granduer of the
holiday home. But we are soon reminded that it is the holiday home
and its modern trappings that is completely surrounded by Nature.
Look at how incongruous, false and insignificant the setting of the
house sounds compared to the impact of the forest...
Driver They’re on the Asian pebbling. Approaching the water
feature. Passing the elephant hedge. (p.26)
These are examples of sanitised replicas of nature. Safe versions for
weekend country folk. It is clear that these people will be out of their
depth the moment they step out into ‘The Real World’ that
surrounds the holiday home.
Spin Ah. Squish
Paul Feel the earth my boy
Spin I am feeling it. In my socks. Up my leg. (p.69)
Before rehearsals Steven and I spoke about how the house would be
ultra modern, ultra sophisticated. It would provoke aspiration in
those who saw it and give a clear impression of the rise of Paul Cave.
Given a ridiculous Hollywood budget we talked about how the forest
would encroach into the house over time, take over the places, etc. It
would be fascinating to see the place once all symbols of the current
lives that occupy it had disappeared, when Nature has triumphed
over the city and reclaimed the land.
In a way Paul is an Ozymandias figure. PB Shelley ‘Two vast and
legless trunks of stone.’ Despite his mighty reputation and
intimidating persona he may be completely alone in the moment of
his demise and all that he commanded is already falling to dust. He
may be surrounded by the family that he has provided for but Kate
has moved on and Madeline has virtually shattered. All that he has
invested in lies in ruins. Despite all he has earned he is left with
nothing worth holding onto.
Paul witnesses his own transition from King to rubble
Which of these characters is really living? Which of these characters
lives in the real world?
Kate is firmly entrenched in her world and is utterly insensitive to
the world that surrounds it. Paul has lost more than he has ever
gained and is now about to lose it all. Madeline is about to feel true
loss. Spin was ok because he has his excuse but that is sounding
hollow now.
What about Driver? Here is a man who could upset the whole order of
things, could excert a raw physical strength and dominate those around
him if he chose to. He represents the Natural order of things at its
basest. He could exert his will if he chose to. The tragedy is that he
doesn’t. If he chose to defy definition he could have run off to see his
son but he does not. He follows his orders and it leads him to disaster.
Paul vs Madeline
Here is a generational clash played out in homes up and down the length
of the country. Father vs daughter, conservative vs radical. Old vs new.
Specifically, a self made man who has played the system and won vs a
woman determined to rebel from a world that has provided her with
everything she has ever needed apart from her father’s love.
She is horrified and embarrassed by her father’s opinions and how the
whole country has to hear them. She now wants to distance herself from
everything her father represents.
Paul is a man who represents a life of hard work within the establishment.
He has earned all of the trappings that surround him. Madeline has
merely inherited everything she would ever need.
They represent two worlds. They are opposites.
Their battle is central to the play. We felt that this was not just a political
battle between clashing ideologies. At its heart it is a battle for the
attention of a loved one. While the play frequently uses the word hate to
describe the feelings between Madeline and her Dad, we sought to bring
out the love that existed between them.
Madeline: I hate you.
Rabbit flutter.
Madeline: I hate you.
Paul Giving in and dropping out –
Madeline Don’t flatter yourself -
Kate Enough please –
Madeline I do. I hate you -
Paul Of course you do. It’s easier that way -
Kate No, she doesn't. Do you?
Madeline
In my dreams. There is a basement. The walls are made from
the flesh of rotting bats. There is no floor. Just black air. And you.
In the corner. With a microphone. And a dwarf. Eating your
face. (p.59)
5

But then later, when Madeline has found out her
Dad is dying...
Kate I said stop crying!
Madeline Why?! Why fuck would I stop crying!?
Madeline rocks and cries harder.
Kate I wasn’t aware we mourned for those
we hate.
Madeline rocks to a stop.
Kate I’m just quoting. (p.78)
Kate can see a special bond that exists between Paul and Madeline. In this moment she highlights it and points out
something fascinating. Madeline would never be this emotional about Kate. She just doesn’t effect her like this and
Kate knows this.
If this was a romantic melodrama then this would be the moment when a lesser character points out to the
heroine that all her antagonistic behaviour towards the hero is actually because she is deeply in love with him.
This is where the tragedy lies. We believe Paul does love Madeline. Enough to give her everything. Enough to give his
life when he realises that the only thing that would set her free would be if he were to be gone. His demise becomes
his gift to her. He will make the ultimate sacrifice for her.
Does Madeline really want to be free from her father? The father she blames for everything? What does she want from
him? Has he got this one right?
Look out for moments when Paul and Madeline either connect or choose not to.
Note that when Madeline enters after her shower she announces “I’m here” and her mother runs to her in excitement.
We have taken great care for Paul to see her but act like he has not. Yet when he arrived in the previous scene he could
not stop talking about her. This is another denial of the effect that Madeline has on him. His actions are sometimes
like that of a bashful teenager in love. While there is a definite theme of Paul vs Madeline we were just as interested in
exploring the Paul 4 Madeline theme.
Spin Paul let's go man, let's run. I'm no coward Mr Cave. I just love your daughter.
Paul We all do son. Some of us are lucky enough to voice it. (p.82)
(This is an obvious example of a sometimes subtle language that exists throughout the show. It is illuminating when
Kate carefully and cleverly announces her understanding of it. It places Kate historically as the parent who has always
been there yet never really been the one whose love was desired. This is a tragic situation and should send Kate a
degree of sympathy. If not then the least we can do is accept that we may have underestimated her astuteness).
In Paul and Madeline’s estranged relationship, representation of different worlds and their final battle and
reconciliation, we were inspired by a surprising filmic reference. Although I doubt that when Brendan was writing the
play his mind was actually on Star Wars! But that is just a reference point of our age group. The relationship between
Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker could exist at any age. It is a fairy story, restoration tragedy, a western.
One of the most interested and telling lines comes from Madeline when she launches her tirade at her father
Madeline I have to change who I am - because of you. (p.62)
Madeline lets it slip that she is trying to be something, something else. She is forced to change who she is because of
what Paul is. She is essentially trying to run away from what she is, what she will become. If you like she is Luke
Skywalker. Paul is Darth Vader. They are one.
Madeline Dad they hate me because they know who I am. (p.59)
Consider Madeline’s growing understanding of this apparently corrosive relationship. We have found that they are
both lovers and enemies but Madeline is about to make another leap of awareness that turns their initial roles
completely on their heads.
From Madeline’s rap:
Madeline Sick to my heart - I must impart - this revelation - that puts a permanent stain on my generation.
The questions I’m so afraid I hold the answer – in the truth of night daddy I believe I am your cancer. (p.89)
This is a shocking admission of guilt, not just personal but generational. Madeline has come a long way in a short time.
The prospect of losing the father she ‘hates’ is having a profound effect on her.
6

Drugs vs The Real World
Paul Have you had any reactions to the grief? Insecurity?
Paranoia? Drug addiction? Popularity?...‘Cos it's boring, drug addiction.
Seeking false refuge in the caves of high. Especially heroin. As a drug -
tenacious, seductive. As a friend - greedy. You start using it to warm the
soul. Heat the heart. But I'll tell you this from any distance Spin. It
always ends up owning you. Controlling you. I don't care who you are.
Grief is such a cheap ticket. (p.38)
***
Spin It’s good baby, it’s really good. It’s all honey and sparks.
Madeline Why can’t you just see that I’m trying not to want something
and support me through that?
Spin Why can’t you just see that I know where the good cloud is
and help me put you on it? (p.24)
Above are two very different accounts of the effects of drugs. Paul
highlights the users need for companionship, how the user becomes
dependent on something essentially false. It is interesting that this
should come into his thoughts. He is obviously obsessed with
confronting The Real World and cannot abide anyone who runs
from it.
Ask why Paul would have such strong feelings about drugs?
For Spin there is not really an intellectual argument to be had. Drugs
make him feel better and that is a damn fine reason to use them.
But things are not quite as simple as that. His body is wracked with
pain when he is not on drugs. He is an addict. The drug is already
owning him, demanding its place in his blood stream. By most
peoples’ definition The Real World for Spin is a painful place. Not
just his physical pain but the emotional effects of the death of his
parents have all been negated by the drugs and the simple fact of
their death gives him the continual excuse to indulge.
He habitually runs away from confrontation and into the arms of his
drugs. These acts would disgust a natural fighter and responsible
person like Paul.
But it is Spin’s way of coping.
There are other people who choose other coping mechanisms.
Different alternatives to The Real World.
Kate runs to the drinks cabinet at the first sign of stress (another
drug). Madeline adopts a language and attitude that ultimately
appears false. Paul continually buries his head in the sand when faced
with the emotional requirements of his daughter. And what about
Driver? How does he respond to The Real world? Instead of acting
and doing what he knows to be right he bows to the priorities of
another man’s world and ultimately fails in his own world.
DISCLAIMER
There is always a concern when presenting drug taking on stage that
there must be a moral mission to decry its misuse and tell the
audience that drug taking is bad. If we do not there is always the
possibility of leaving ourselves open to the accusation of advocating
the misuse of drugs. We felt that this was nonsense.
For us it was important for the audience to see people taking drugs
on stage just as people take drugs in the real world. We have to see
why they take drugs, what they offer for them. We had to be honest
and accept that the characters take drugs because it makes them feel
good.
This does not mean that drugs are good or bad. There is no moral
judgement here. There is no intention to glamourise drugs either. As
the play is about facing up to the real world we felt that our audience
did not need us offering any moral guidance on their behalf. They
know the real world and don’t need patronizing.
Feeling vs Thinking
This is the crux of the argument between Paul and Madeline. In
many ways it may define the generations they defend
Madeline How does that make you feel Dad? That I'm not going to be
a studious little achiever. That I'm going to be butt naked in seedy clubs
up and down the country?
Kate Oh, Mad. Surely you could wear a slip.
Madeline Answer me dad. How does that make you feel?
Paul I think -
Madeline Feel - ?
Kate Oh, Mad.
Paul I think - you'll feel - cold. (p.56)
Note how Madeline carefully sets the issue up. The use of the word
‘feel’ is obviously steeped in history. It is placed like a red flag in
front of Paul and he takes no time in noticing it. His response is a
denial of what she is demanding of him. He rejects her and clearly
sets out his world and how it is opposed to her world.
It is a petty reaction.
But are we convinced by Paul? Is he sometimes his own worst
enemy? Is he happy to think and not feel?
How does the ‘think’ vs ‘feel’ question effect the other characters?
Should Driver have responded to his feelings and not conformed to
Paul’s thoughts on ‘definition’? Are there other places where this
‘think’ vs ‘feel’ dilemma exists?
It is also interesting to note that this generational argument is not
exclusively contemporary. It rises at times of great social change when
one generation sees its hard work represent nothing in the eyes of the
following generation.
Look for these markers in history. Rock ‘n’ Roll, Mods, Hippies,
Punk, Rap, Hip Hop, etc. Music has played a crucial role in defining
a generation and alienating them from their parents (see Frank vs
Marshall p.8).
Paul And yes on the topic of ‘word up’ - you see I would definitely,
and Kate I’m sure you’d agree, I would definitely regard myself as a lover
of music. Possibly even endow myself an ‘aficionado’ of everything fine
and auditory. For it is my society. But I must be honest with you Spin, I
feel hip hop and rap sit outside the term art or music, and in a place of
their own more resonant with the sounds of traffic and anarchy.
Kate We’re a bit old-fashioned Spin –
Paul I find nothing in their clamour but a catalytic chant to
violence and vandalism. Stabbing music. Provoking killings, rape, and
graffiti at best. (p.44)
Paul is effected by Madeline’s request to feel. Despite his frosty
stubbornness his antipathy is starting to melt. As he sets out into the
forest with Spin he is clearly finding a new language as a direct result
of Madeline’s challenge and his fast approaching fate
Paul I am going to take my clothes off.
Spin Sir, no.
Paul How does that make you feel? (p.72)
The great gulf in understanding is provoked by the eternal
misconception that the other generation or world either does not
‘think’ or ‘feel’. By the end of Rabbit those worlds have at last
communed in the silent peace achieved between Paul and Madeline.
The tragedy is of course that it is so late in the day.
7

Frank vs Marshall
As we have noted earlier music has a very important place in the feeling of generation identity.
Rabbit is written as a battle between the worlds of Frank Sinatra and Eminem. Madeline once identified
with the Frank Sinatra of her youth, when there may have been a closer relationship between her and her
father, but now she feels she belongs to another world.
Madeline Rap is the poetry of the people of our time, I wouldn’t expect you to understand. (p.45)
The worlds of Frank and Marshall are reflected in the language and rhythm of Paul and Madeline. There is
probably more in this battle ground than we have exploited in this production. Instead of going for a literal
clash of styles we have tried to use music that can suggest both worlds. (See Deadly Avenger p.13)
THE KING IS DEAD! LONG LIVE THE KING!
Paul If it wasn’t for my irony then we wouldn’t be standing on this
heated floor in a glass house on top of a mountain about to enjoy the
beauty of baked rabbit and Pinot Noir. Irony is a child’s toy. Success is
sacrifice. (p.33)
Paul is the King of his world, surrounded by the trappings of his
success. Having reached the top the only way is clearly down. As the
master of all that he sees Nature is now having the last laugh as
cancer eats at his prostate and he faces weakness and, ultimately, the
great leveller, Death.
But a weak King is of no use to the Kingdom he has created. He
must be usurped by the stronger, fitter beast
Kate Time for you to inherit a little bit of manliness.
Spin I’m sorry?
Kate Don’t be. Come to us Spin. Come. (p.92)
Spin is groomed by the opportunistic Kate into the new heir, the
new Patriarch. She places the ideas in his head like a scheming Lady
MacBeth.
Kate My man. All class
Spin The world’s an oyster in a shot glass
Kate We’ll kill rabbits
Spin Millions of them
Kate You and me. (p.97)
Once again the law of the jungle is enforced. Kate appears to be
lining up a new mate, a new patriarch and Paul will soon be confined
to the dust.
Inside the king’s weekend retreat there may be underfloor heating but
that does not leave one immune to the powers of nature. Death is
never far away from Paul. The drug induced death of his brother,
Spin’s parents, Driver’s ailing son, and his own failing body.
But where there is death there is life. Paul begins to see the freedom
he can offer his daughter, the life that will grow from his death
Paul Let me off Mad. Let me go.
Madeline I don’t know what I’m saying –
Paul Let your old man go. Mad –
Madeline Go where? Dad go where?
Paul takes her by the thumbs.
Paul I - (p.63)
Paul’s illness represents the imposition of a natural order bigger than
any world he could create or command. Death comes to us all in the
end. It is undeniable. Uncontrollable. Invincible. And Kate has
prepared frantically for this final act. Obsessed with the grieving
process and how she will look in black she is left facing the reality of
life without Paul only in the final seconds of the play but even she
knows that life and death are a cycle and we play our parts at both
ends.
Kate Much beauty groweth from dead soil. Or something. (p.84)
She holds out for regeneration from the demise of Paul. Rejected by
her daughter she is facing the prospect of being alone. We even have
her cuddling the rabbit at this point but things soon change with the
return of Spin and his ‘grief killer’. She is grasping the positive and is
rebuilding her life. And for this she needs a new Paul.
The King is dead. Long live the King?
SHAKESPEARE AND RABBIT
During rehearsals we talked of all the possible Shakespearian
references that exist in the play. I am not sure that Brendan
meant them all but I have never met a writer who would not
subsequently claim them all as part of his genius (only joking,
Brendan). For those of you at home, see if you can spot
references, similarities, blatant thefts from, among others,
MacBeth - Lady MacBeth encouraging MacBeth to murder Duncan
Hamlet - Gertrude and Hamlet get it on
King Lear - Lear goes out onto heath with the Fool (act 3 sc 2) -
The Fool as his conscience, - His Daughters tell him what they
think of him - The ‘fool’ imploring the king to return home and
reconcile with his daughters (Good nuncle, in, and ask thy
daughters blessing).
The Tempest - Ariel asking to be free - setting Ariel free
Midsummer Night’s Dream - Lost in the woods and out of control
The Winters Tale - Exit pursued by a bear
Answers on a postcard to...
...and the award for taking analysis too far goes to...
While we are looking at King Lear, consider the little
accidental insight Spin offers us into his true status in front of
Paul (Lear) when offering him the ironic Rabbit
Spin - Well, I'm a little full myself.
Pushing the point? Well maybe a little!
8

THE RABBIT
Why is there a live Rabbit in a box? What does the Rabbit represent? The
play is called Rabbit. Why do you think the Rabbit has such a presence?
Kate I don't know why we just don't buy them dead and
stripped from the butcher. (p.29)
Why do you think Paul has insisted on a live rabbit?
Here is another example of urban man attempting to dominate nature, to
take his rightful place in the scheme of things. It is not enough to buy a
processed Rabbit. It is only right to assert the superiority of man and
subdue the inferior beast. This is the world of Paul Cave.
Paul Action is a real man’s business. Action and whacking.
That’s the ‘real world.’ (p.69)
Why would Paul want a live rabbit? As Paul approaches the dying of the
light there is nothing more life affirming than death. If he can command
the death of another creature then it proves his own vitality...
Kate If he wants killing then there must be killing! (p.66)
The only way Paul can control death is to dispense it himself. But he is
unable to act and takes desperate measures to make peace with nature
before he is consumed by it. He sets off into the forest be at one with
nature, to find the true nature of living
Paul And now look at me. Mouth on mike jawbone drop
the argy-bargy. (p.69)
***
Paul I've always been confronting. Let us shed the wrappers of humanity. Throw organs to the wind. (p.72)
As Paul attempts to renounce his ways and discard the material trappings of success, his predicament begins to echo that of the rabbit. Both are
trapped, doomed, stripped of life, just rustling in a box. In their current states they are both of little use to anyone
Kate Will you please but fucking die! (p.76)
Kate feelings towards the rabbit become indistinguishable from her feelings for Paul. Her outcry could be as much about Paul as it is about the
rabbit. Indeed in the feeding of ‘ironic rabbit’ to Paul they both become one. (They have both taken the poison of the ‘grief killer.’) He is
eating his own words. He is eating the symbol of his self. He is becoming nothing.
Paul is also Peter Rabbit. His clothes are mounted in the woods as Peter’s are. Kate prepares his meal (minus the baked Rabbit!) consisting of all
the vegetables that appear in the Peter Rabbit story. The vegetables that Peter devours. Paul tells the story of an understanding that exists
between Farmer MacGregor and Peter Rabbit where the farmer lets the rabbit go.
In this story the expected roles are reversed. Madeline is the powerful MacGregor figure and Paul is the little rabbit figure at his mercy,
desperate to be let go. He has already implored his daughter to do just that
Paul Let me off Mad. Let me go. Let your old man go. Mad. (P.63)
CHAPTER 2 Building the show
WRITER/DIRECTOR RELATIONSHIP
Although we set out to take on an existing text we were adamant that
we also wanted Brendan to join the creative team. When he arrived
we talked about how this was an exciting opportunity to create
something new rather than just create a British version of the
Australian production. Having Brendan on board meant that we had
immediate access to him and he could see immediately what we were
trying to achieve.
What really helped was that Brendan was open to new ideas, was still
trying to get to the heart of his play, liked a few beers and was up
there with the best when it came to mucking around in the rehearsal
room. He truly is an honorary Frantic person. All of this inspired an
incredibly exciting couple of weeks where we got to grips with the
emotional and intellectual meat of the play.
But this makes light of Brendan’s unbelievable energy, commitment
and speed of work. He responded to ideas immediately, always
brought back improvements the next day and was absolutely integral
to the success of each day. I hope he also feels that it was well worth
the air fare and deep vein thrombosis to get him over here.
9
DIRECTOR/DIRECTOR RELATIONSHIP
As Frantic Assembly has two artistic director people often ask if we
always agree on everything. The answer is simply no. If we did there
would be no need to have two directors. We would simply be saying
the same thing twice.
When there is disagreement there is also a trust that allows one
partner to run with their controversial idea and probably convince
the other partner of its merits. If a partner is willing to fight for an
idea then there must be something of worth there. We have seen this
enough times through the years to let it happen knowing that the
unconvinced partner will probably catch up their understanding and,
no doubt, offer the finishing touches that the first partner may have
been too involved to notice. The phrase ‘you cross ‘em over and I’ll
nod ‘em in’ has been heard more than once.
There are also moments when we look at each other blankly and turn
towards the actors and ask them to ‘play’ (often a euphemism for ‘get
busy and look away while we think of something’). Fortunately the
performers are so instinctively creative just by being such fine and funny
actors that inspiration is never far away. And the beauty is that we
always get to claim it as our ideas. The down side is that Brendan is
busy in a corner retyping the script and claiming those ideas for himself.

DESIGN CONCEPT
a) Modern living - keeping nature at bay
The set was essentially a window through which we can see the forest
or the mountains that surrounded the house. Practically the windows
would encompass the forests, contain them within their parameters.
It would give the impression of the dominance of the city over
nature. It is a reverse representation of what exists in reality; that the
house is of course surrounded by, swallowed by, the forest.
We wanted the set to show this skewed perception. It represents the
views of a world obsessed with material gain, with successful living
within the rat race. This is an image of a world where people escape
from the city on the odd weekend to sit in central heated rooms with
expensive Belgian beers in their hands and look out at their own view
of nature. This is good living. Mastering the modern world through
the week and getting in touch with nature at the weekend! Except
when they leave the comfort of the front room everything starts to
break down. They are out of their depth and Nature takes on a
malevolent role.
We were interested in the concept that the windows were not just
portals looking out to the world. They were also bars that protect the
people inside from the menace of what lurks outside. Once outside in
the forest it doesn’t take Paul long to cast off the remnants of his life
and surrender to the forces of nature. Naked and confused he moves
towards the light of the moon, towards death, or Fate, and away from
the folly of his own existence. Only in these last moments is Nature
embraced. Also Spin sees nothing but danger and mud in the forest.
He mistakes the approaching Driver for a bear and leaves Paul to fend
for himself, running back to the safety of the house (Also to the safety
of his heroin habit - see Drugs vs The Real World 1.2.c).
b) Widescreen
Frantic Assembly shows are nearly always inspired by films that we
have seen whether music videos, or television programmes. With
Rabbit we wanted to show the world outside Paul and Kate’s holiday
home as somehow contained (or constrained) yet still give the sense
of it being epic, of it being enormous. This is not just about what is
shown through the glass of the windows but also the shape of the
windows themselves. It was important to us to present the outside
world through the ‘epic’ shape of a ‘widescreen’ cinema screen and
not present a flatness but instead suggest a rap-around 3-d effect to
the forest outside.
c) Felt Mountain
For the epic outdoor feel we were looking for we looked at
the photography of Ansel Adams but this of course, being
photographs (in monochrome!) of America’s most famous
natural landmarks, was too specific and would place the
Cave’s house as being perched on a mountain in Yosemite
National Park.
We talked about something that would be both beautiful
and imposing. Truly astounding wonders of nature have a
capacity to inspire both joy and fear in the beholder. It is
also quite important for the themes of the play to present
something which has the capacity to turn from one
perceived view into another. (Mountains, rivers, cliff edges
all have this capacity to turn on the beholder and create
unbridled terror). The script talks of a forest and our
finished set might well be that but for the time being we
have spoken about an image that has captured our
imagination and fulfils the criteria set out about above.
The image is a romantic representation of the Matterhorn
taken from the cover of Goldfrapp’s first album Felt
Mountain. This image has become our guideline and any
subsequent image has been judged against its success. This
is the Felt Mountain effect / test.
10

d) Who is Paul Cave?
This is a question we had to ask ourselves very early
on. It is crucial that the audience gets a sense of the
power of this man, the impact of his opinions on
the world around him. Not just his immediate
family but the country at large. In the original
Australian version Paul is a renowned ‘shock jock’
DJ on a talk Radio station. It occurred to us that
there might be a different radio culture in such a
large open country and that an Australian public
might recognise a Paul Cave figure easier than a
British audience. While we struggled to nail exactly
who his British equivalent would be (a game the
whole family can play) Dick set about designing a
set that would give an audience a sketch of this
man. The audience would be able to read from the
design that Paul was, obviously, a successful man
but also details suggesting that he stood for no
nonsense, was his own man. This building is a new
and costly construction, filled with the best money can buy. All symbols of the profits of legitimate hard
work. We may also glean that this place doesn’t get used every day. It is a retreat. Or like an ultra modern
stately home of a king (see ‘The King is Dead. Long Live the King” p.8).
We hoped the set would suggest a lot of these things for us. Being a symbol of Paul’s life it is a place he
has earned with his hard work rather than something inherited. Because of this the building would mean
very different things for Paul than it would for Madeline. As Paul has poured his efforts into capturing
material benefits and financial security at the expense of any perceivable emotional relationship with his
family it seems only right that the trophy house on the hill should feel slightly sterile. It is not filled with
life. It is filled with the denial of death - Paul, Spin, the rabbit. Outside is where life and death is. Outside
is the Real World. It is a sterile structure lost in the middle of a forest. It is Paul Cave. Just as the trapped
and doomed rabbit is Paul Cave.
e) Inside looking out
Discussing design ideas at the early stages of a production is always a battle between outrageous wishful
thinking and level headed pragmatism. There is always a finite budget but there is not a finite
imagination. The joy of working with Dick Bird and Jai Lusser is that between them they both indulge in
the fantastical imaginings and then go off and, invariably, make it happen. However, along that path there
are many discussions and a few compromises.
One of the various detailed conversations we had with Dick and Jai was about slight adjustments that
could be made to the set to keep it on track financially. Dick’s beautiful drawings were transformed into a
fantastic model through which we could pour light and imagine our actors drinking their Belgian beers or
stumbling around in the forest. Looking at this we were talking about the various options we had to
adjust the set to help it fit tight budget requirements. It would simply be about turning the costly curve
of the set into a straight edge, or taking the expensive polycarb glass effect out of the frames and seeing if
we can create the effect of there being some solid window without there being any ‘glass’ in the frame.
When we looked at the effects of the alterations we had just about got back on budget at the expense of a
crucial design element. By our slight tinkering the windows now looked like something we were on the
outside looking into rather than something we were inside looking out of. To have lost this element
would have been a disaster. We immediately discussed what our bottom line would be, what it had to be.
We had to preserve the look and artistic intention of Dick’s original design and do our best to make that
happen, shuffling any budgets accordingly.
It was a shock to us to find out how fragile this illusion was and equally how important it was to the
overall success of our staging of Rabbit. We had to be in the room. We had to share the illusion of this
cultured world of baked rabbit and pinot noir being master of the natural world outside.
FINDING A CAST - THE PROCESS AND OUR REQUIREMENTS
We were looking for a brave, adventurous cast. Our requirements for this show were very different to other shows. Previously we had always
made shows with people our own age but this time we needed people old enough to look like the parents of a person aged probably between
19 and 22. It also meant that we had to find people who could look this young.
When we start looking for new performers we always start with recommendations and who might have impressed us recently. One reason for
this reliance on recommendations is that we accept the Frantic Assembly approach to making work and our own demands on the performers
are not suited to everyone. People who know our work and practices well are well placed to suggest whether a performer or creative
collaborator is suitable.
We need performers with an open mind, with a lot of energy and guts. When we were auditioning we tested their physical skills as well as their
performing skills but what we were looking for was a capacity to try something new, to be brave and jump in with both feet. All of our cast
possess this ability.
11

We need performers that
can place themselves
within a busy creative
process and not feel
separate or superior to
the demands of any
other component. We
need team players. Since
the company started it
has found collaboration
to be the most exciting
way to work and this has created an atmosphere where an interest
and understanding of the other practitioners’ input leads to a greater
understanding of the work as a whole.
When casting for the Cave family members we looked for
individually talented people. We looked for a brooding darkness
within Paul but equally a suppressed sensitivity that would hint at a
possible salvation. For Madeline we had to look for a performer who
could capture the qualities of someone who has not quite come to
terms with the transition from girl to woman and who can fluctuate
between the two. For Kate Cave we wanted a woman who exuded a
sexual charm with just a hint of psychosis.
Sometimes it is not simply a task of matching our performers to
what we have discovered about the characters from several readings.
Sometimes the people you meet can change what you thought you
were looking for. For the character Spin we were looking for someone
who could carry off the streetwise unwashed feel that he exudes from
the page. When Sam Crane auditioned he came across as polite,
handsome and possibly well to do. He threw himself into the
physical side and when it came to the readings we gave him a section
of text essentially written as a rap. We gave him the option of reading
it straight but when he offered to rap it we prepared ourselves for
what could be the longest five minutes of our lives. What followed
completely blew up away. Sam rapped brilliantly and subsequently
opened up the possibilities of what Spin could be! We realised Spin
could also be a mess of contradictions, of denials and aspirations, just
as much as any of the Cave family.
Similarly, for the part of Driver, we were initially looking for a big
bruiser performer as the script dictated but that search was proving
difficult. We thought again about the quality that the character of
Driver brings to the piece. We talked about an other worldly quality,
something distinct from the rest of the group, a quiet dignity and self
possession that keeps him composed when faced with the madness of
the Cave family. Importantly, under this composure lies a violent,
powerful potential that could easily overturn Paul’s world of
definition and order. This distinction suggested to us that Driver
would even move in his own way, exist at a different pace more in
tune to the outside world, far closer to ‘the real world.’ With these
thoughts in mind we turned to Karl Sullivan, a gentle giant we had
worked with on a show called Hymns. (Ok, he may not be a giant
but we are quite a small company!). Karl is a fantastic mover and the
idea of working with a performer who could express the world of
Driver to the audience physically and not just through the few words
he has became a very exciting prospect.
With Karl on board we now had a complete cast. Having cast the
show based on the abilities of the performers alone we then noticed
the startling similarity that existed between the performers playing
the Cave family! Paul and Kate Cave did not look like each other but
Madeline was definitely their daughter, taking various features from
each! The resemblance was unnerving but also a massive stroke of
luck. We took this as a good sign!
All of the performers have surprised and inspired us during
rehearsals. Their vast performance skills are bolstered by an incredible
speed at picking things up, things they may never have done before!
Susan Kyd (Kate) and David Sibley (Paul) may not have felt
immediately comfortable with the movement tasks but we have
found both to be absolute physical theatre naturals. Both are fully
committed to the moves, allowing them to inform their performance
without it taking over. They probably don’t know this but in
rehearsals they are all, with a grace that borders on the offensive,
achieving what it has taken us years to even appreciate existed.
Namely a fully rounded physical performance.
FROM PAGE TO STAGE
Stage Directions
We are notoriously slack with stage directions. Early in rehearsals a member of the cast
suggested we mark the kisses in a scene as we read through it. We suggested that we
shouldn’t worry about that now.
It was at this moment that we realised that we probably have an unusual relationship
with stage directions. By ignoring them at the beginning we try to get into the meat of
the text. What tends to happen then is the stage directions come back as welcome
suggestions, not just appearing as hurdles on day one of rehearsals.
Of course this is only possible thanks to the open mindedness of writers like Brendan
Cowell and Abi Morgan. We realise that some writers’ feelings about their stage
directions would probably make it impossible for us to get to grips with their work.
The ‘problem’ of the second half
Rabbit is certainly a play of two halfs. The first half is about a clash of cultures and
manners. In the second half the evening has been blown apart and the characters are
found in ever more extreme situations.
Dealing with the madness of the second half was always going to be a sizeable task. We
wanted to avoid a general sense of the surreal taking over and dwarfing the characters.
After a particularly good run in the rehearsal room we suddenly realised that the
madness of the second half had to be something that the characters had to create
themselves. This is not mad things happening to them. This is all a self-made situation.
They are all responsible. They are lying in their own mess.
This realisation raised the stakes considerably. It meant that each of the little scenes in
the second half had to really fizz with energy. The concept of the visual transition from
room to woods is not enough to carry the Act and it was time for the actors to claim it
back as their own.
12

The Last Supper
This is the final moments of the show. Paul has died and the family are
left with the consequenses.
We asked the performers to run the last scene and then allow two
minutes after to feel what came next. They were to stay in character for
this time. We then talked about the various emotions that came from
the improvisation.
Kate felt both repelled and fascinated by Paul’s dead body. She also
became aware of a seething hatred coming from Madeline. Instead of
feeling guilt she sparked up her self defence mechanism and
immediatley became self pitying.
Madeline felt love for her father and was compelled to touch his face
in a way that she would never have allowed herself while he was alive.
She became intensely protective of his body and incredibely spikey
with her mother.
Spin felt utterly alone. Despite the promise of a new family, a new
world order, it all collapsed with the death of Paul and he was left with nothing. It was also clear that he had lost Madeline.
When we came to run this scene again we asked for them to play what they had found at the end of the scene. Interestingly it did not work for
the audience this time. The performers were working too hard to tell us what they were thinking. We asked them to hold back and merely feel
these complex emotions themselves and not worry about telling the story of them.
Again it did not work. A performer’s instinct is to make sure the audience is aware of what is going on at any moment. The problem was that
the audience could not fail to know what was going on at this moment and that any minute efforts to force anything their way began to look
crass.
We tried to convince the actors to hold back their instincts and let the scene happen. The success of this scene relied on letting the audience
come to the actors and project their own understanding of the situation. We talked about how this was the actor’s widescreen close up. The
music would play for 1 minute 50 seconds and the focus of the audience would shift completely looking for the tiniest sign of emotion flitting
accross a character’s face. With this understanding the actors knew they had to hold back and let ‘the camera’, the music, and the audience’s
understanding of all that had preceded this moment do the work.
The effect of the scene should be like time lapse photography of a bowl of fruit rotting. When we look at the family there is no clear
discernable emotion but over time the picture changes and the family degrades.
DEADLY AVENGER AND THE RABBIT SOUNDTRACK
On the day Steven received the script for Rabbit in Sydney, January 2003 he also bought a CD from a local
store after seeing it recommended. That first reading of the script coincided with the first listening of that
CD. The album was Deadly Avenger’s Deep Red which immediately seemed to provide a perfect
soundtrack to the play.
With Deep Red Deadly Avenger has taken sweeping strings and laced them with crashing beats to create an
elegant emotional world backed by a thrashing undercurrent. Upon first reading of the play, the battle that
raged between Paul Cave and his daughter Madeline was the battle played out by Deadly Avenger on this
album, with both play and album ultimately proving to be a beautiful experience.
In choosing to ransack the Deadly Avenger back catalogue, we have intentionally side-stepped the obvious
choice in creating a soundtrack for Rabbit. The play pays heavy reference to Paul’s Frank Sinatra versus
Madeline’s Eminem. Earlier drafts of the play were explicit in this where the forest scenes provided
something close to a face-off between the two alter egos. However, even at this stage, Deep Red seemed to
speak volumes in its unique duality of the classical versus the beats. It also just sounded ‘Frantic’ to us - a
quality we’re not entirely able to put our finger on, we just choose not to question it.
As well as the Deadly Avenger discovery we also decided that it was important to find a personality for the
forest and to this end we teamed up with Nick Manning in order to create a soundtrack for the outside
environment found in the second half of the play. At first, the outdoors is very British ‘woods’ with an
emphasis on birdsong but as Paul’s experience in the outdoors intensifies, so does his environment. At the
height of this, the woods have become a forest with a far more creative flavour. If you listen closely enough
you’ll discover a variety of bears and even a few alligator hisses. It was important to us that the forest as
experienced by Paul became strange and threatening.
Additional music was sourced from the work of Thomas Newman, a Frantic favourite. We looked at his
soundtracks for the films Meet Joe Black, Pay It Forward, Road To Perdition and American Beauty. We also
looked to Carter Burwell whose soundtracks for Adaptation and Gods And Monsters also proved invaluable.
The type of music produced by both composers was extremely useful to us in creating musical ‘moments’
within the show - short pieces of music used to underpin a moment rather than an entire scene.
The broad, open structure of Thomas Newman’s work also allowed us to underscore a song sung by the
characters in the second half with a completely different piece of music. Working in this way always excites
us in the same way as when we are able to combine text and movement - an opportunity to combine
different elements to discover a brand new hybrid.
13

Chapter 3 Finding Characters
CHARACTER INSIGHTS
For the purposes of this guide the performers were asked to list at least three things that had informed their characterisation of the parts.
These stimuli could come from the play itself or the outside world. They were to be anything that had informed their choices and inspired
their understanding and playing of their characters. Hopefully they will be of interest to you!
Sue Kyd Shoes! Getting into the real physicality of the character / The line in the play ‘I live in the real world where real women savour life’
(p.66) / The trophy wives and their startling conversations at her gym in Hampstead
David Sibley Rythm and language - thinking of the playing of it like playing in a band / His own Father Daughter relationship -
specifically the troublesome teens
Sam Crane Avoiding Ali G / Attending a Narcotics Anonymous meeting to try to get the understanding of the concept of ‘an excuse’ /
His Hip Hop collection / Bruce Lee
Helen Heaslip Swimming Pool (the film) - Ms Dynamite (The album) - High heels and Trustafarian girls with highlights on the Kings
Road, Chelsea / Placebo
Karl Sullivan Michael Caine / Lewis Collins mixed with the magic qualities of Michael Clark Duncan from The Green Mile! / Cross
between mates ‘London bloke Steve’ and ‘big hearted John’ / A postman who was having his lunch in Pellicci’s cafe in Bethnal Green / The
idea of Driver being possibly ex-army
Outdated mottos / timeless pearls of wisdom that cropped up during rehearsals...
Before going on stage think, ‘I am young, I am beautiful and I have a secret!’ Sue Kyd
‘It is all looks, thoughts and glances’ Sue Kyd
‘If in doubt always hit the verb’ David Sibley
WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE?
a) Paul
Paul is set out in the original version as ‘The voice of Australia.’ He is a radio talk show host whose opinions are
known and feared throughout the country. He is a larger than life figure whose no nonsense outlook would create as
many enemies as it would admirers. It was interesting to us that his medium was radio where one could create an
impression without having to impose a physical presence. Maybe his physicality would suggest a fragility a million
miles away from his almost ogre like reputation. Not quite as extreme as a Montgomery Burns figure but the way he
could hide in his radio studio and control and crush the opinions of callers and create this terrifying impression of
himself through the airwaves did suggest a Wizard of Oz type character (which in itself is quite ironic, considering he
is the voice of Australia!)
We saw him as a powerful media person but thought that there might not be a direct British radio equivalent. He
may air his outspoken views on political programs like Newsnight or he may be slightly more downmarket and spout
his controversial opinions from a day time television program. A fiery Kilroy figure perhaps. He may actually end up
being a mix of different media personalities.
Paul is a self-made monster yet he is also a man who looks at himself and asks how all this happened. His
estrangement from his daughter is probably a matter of great confusion to a man who has done his best to provide
everything for her. The tragedy is that he has no words to make amends. He can only spout cynicism and vitriol. It is
only when it is too late that he can communicate his love for his daughter and any regret for their alienation when
they sit together in total silence. This is symptomatic of the generational clash. They appear to speak different
languages sharing only the bitter verbal jousting they automatically fall into but what they really share is much more
fundamental and natural. This is a father and a daughter come so far away from each other, only to be united in loss.
b) Madeline
Madeline is a young woman rebelling against her father, against the priorities of the world
he represents. She is also a girl desperate for the attentions of her father, secure in the
material comforts he provides. She demonstrates from a position of privilege and this ironic
position causes her great distress. The radical rich kid will never be taken seriously so she
feels she has to prove herself. She will go to any length to show her Father that his world is
not the Real World but she cannot find a real world of her own. The anarchist with a trust
fund. The bold artist screaming obscenities at the crowd and the little girl struggling with
anxiety attacks. The responsible daughter addressing generational communication in a clear
and ordered way and the girl who runs off for a fix the moment she becomes upset. She is
constantly between different notions of the Real World. This is her dilemma. She will never
fully belong in either world despite her efforts. Not until the real world finds her, as it finds
Paul, as it finds Driver. The real world is life then death.
14

c) Spin
Spin is an opportunist. We hear about his reliance on his
‘excuse’ ie his parents’ death. He takes this event and lets
it open doors for him, lets it protect him. It is the same
for his drugs. They are something to run to when things
get scary or a little too real.
Ultimately Spin is a boy. Losing his parents has not
propelled him into maturity. It has frozen him forever as
the boy who lost his parents. Kate invites him to ‘step up
to bat... to inherit a little bit of manliness’ but Spin will
never fill Paul’s shoes and he is left a hollow figure at the
end.
This is of course our choice of how to interpret the
ending. The script might actually suggest something a bit
more successful from Spin but we felt that he was a
dreamer who had too much to gain from the status quo
to ever really be able to embrace ambition and work.
Although young we felt that Spin would be the type of
person who would probably spend their life on or around a University campus while no one ever really knew what he studied (if he did at all).
He would be seen as a radical in the impressionable eyes of guilt ridden upper middle class students and their wide eyed adoration would bring
him kudos. His is the alternative lifestyle, ironically, the touch of reality these students seek to show their parents and convince themselves they
are living in the real world. He validates their angst and they offer him immediate status.
d) Kate
‘This woman is cancer.’ - This was Brendan’s
comment during a discussion concerning the
character of Kate. Our initial feelings about Kate
was that she was a deliciously dark and comic
monster. She has some of the most fantastic lines
in the play yet she frequently appears to be at least
one step behind the action. Underneath all of this
she is a scheming opportunist, always on the
lookout for her own interests. While this didn’t
necessarily contradict Brendan’s assessment we
were also interested in a slightly more sympathetic
side to her (only marginally more sympathetic,
though!). We wanted to bring out some of the
history that exists between her and Paul, to suggest a time filled with
life rather just than a present overlooked by death. We also wanted to
bring out the fact that Madeline was only ever interested in her
father’s attention and that a lifetime of this has taken its toll. There
may be a genuine (and justified?) bitterness that provokes her sadistic
treatment of Madeline.
e) Driver
We felt that somehow Driver represented the natural order of things
or that he was nature shackled. He is held back by the definition
placed on him and defined purely by the uniform that he wears. He
remains nameless up until the end of the play. We only find out that
he is also called Paul once all order crumbles.
The idea of order and status is very important. For it to survive
Driver must accept Paul’s seniority and his own subservient role, even
when that leads to disaster. But what we always wanted to feel from
Driver was that there was always a possibility of another order
imposing itself. If he were to break from his shackles he could crush
the other occupants, impose himself as Alpha male. It is his
humanity and composure that stops him from imposing this order
and the others lack of humanity and self obsession that stops them
seeing this.
Of all the characters, Driver exists closest to the Real World, or at
least has the potential to. What stops him, even in his greatest
moment of need, are Paul’s demands and the need of the modern
world to impose its own order and hold back chaos. But Driver
needs chaos, he needs revolution if he is to see his son alive again.
His inability to act and follow this through is his greatest tragedy.
A PHYSICAL COMPANY - APPROACHES TO PHYSICAL SCENES
All of the cast were extremely open to the physical aspects of the work.
This openness allowed us to work quickly and efficiently and meant
that the performers constantly offered inspiration. Working with Karl
Sullivan (whose experience is primarily dance) was also a massive bonus,
whether it was just bouncing ideas off him or collaborating with him to
create material. In a way he often acted as a translator of the ideas.
When it came to starting with the cast we talked about the differences
and similarities between movement and acting. What came up was
that both are a search for truth. Both need truth. It became clear that
where bad acting often involves going out of your way to show an
audience that you are going through some kind of emotion rather than
just doing it, bad dancing also involved that same very deliberate
transference of meaning and emotion to the audience. Better to just do
it and find the truth in it that way rather than emote your socks off in
an attempt to tell the audience something. Give your audience some
credit. They can sniff out truth and lies in an instant.
What follows are some of the approaches to the physical elements to
the show.
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An Evening Condensed
When we are creating new work we try to avoid the situation where
there exists a verbal scene on stage which is then followed by a
physical scene that says exactly the same thing. Similarly we do not
want a physical language during a verbal scene to merely back up the
words. What we are interested in achieving is the creation of a
physical subtext that might tell a different story from the words.
Hopefully the physicality will open out our understanding of the text.
To illustrate this we set the company a purely physical task.
Picture a party in a room filmed over 3 hours by a fixed camera.
Now pick out a person and imagine their journey across the room
throughout the night but imagine the footage played extremely fast.
(It is the kind of time lapse photography often used to highlight the
flow of traffic at junctions or of people in railway stations).
Each performer now creates a similar journey of their own, finding
different positions of stillness throughout the room. These positions
and moves do not have to be completely naturalistic. The shape of this

pattern should mean that when one person is still there are probably a
few people moving and this separates the still person from the chaos.
When the performers are ready they all run their journeys at the same
time. They will all be of slightly different lengths but this is beneficial
because as they loop the material they will always encounter different
people in different places. We ran this sequence several times and it
threw up lots of interesting encounters between the characters. The
more we ran it the more the performers became the characters and the
subtleties and complexities of their stories and relationships came to
the surface. Not only did this open out the hidden complexities of the
text but it created a fascinating physical scene in itself.
We ran the physical routes of the characters under the actual words
and again it betrayed a vivid subtext, an intricate social politic existing
under the skin of the play. This exercise was so successful that elements
of it made it into the show!
Slippery Child
Driver is desperate to get Paul to release him from his duties for the night.
When he finds him in the forest Paul suggests they go to Driver’s sick son.
As they set off Paul becomes delirious and uncontrollable. Driver attempts
to get his mind back on the task and get them both out of the forest.
Physically we asked David Sibley and Karl Sullivan to imagine that Paul has
become a slippery child running off at all angles. Driver struggles to control
this fragile bundle of energy. They set off on this task as we filmed them. We
then looked at the footage and then went back to the material that seemed
to capture the original intention. We set small chunks of material and joined
them together until there was a strong physical routine. It was then that we
went back to the words. Just reading the words alongside the moves threw
up some beautiful accidents, things we would never have thought of if we
had approached the scene by making moves for the words. With the actors
now speaking the words as they move they had created an emotional world
that evoked so much more than the words did on their own.
Driver’s Magic
We have spoken about how we wanted driver to be different from
the others in just about every way. We talked before rehearsals about
how we wanted to create an other world quality about driver. It felt
important to give a character who is not even allowed to divulge his
own name the possession of hidden depths and qualities. He is so
much more than Driver. He is also brilliant at his job but it is his
excellence and utter professionalism that ultimately leads him to
tragedy.
When Driver enters the room he has an impact, a presence. When he
easily deals with Spin and Madeline he sets about putting the room
back in order.
Steven found a piece of music with a complicated time structure and
a syncopated rhythm that would never seem predictable. He then
worked with Karl Sullivan on the construction of a movement
sequence where Driver would sort out the room with intricate
musical precision hitting all sorts of surprising beats and notes.
We wanted this to contrast completely with the way the other
characters relate to the music. None of the others interact with their
soundtracks but Driver is clearly master of his. If the scene works
well the music is the sound of his actions rather than his actions
being movements to the music. He should seem completely in
control. All of this helps create the feeling of a highly capable man
shackled within a restrictive social order.
Physically, difficult things had to seem easy to him. He had to enjoy
what he was doing in the moment. He is alone and free on stage and
this should be a kind of freedom that dissipates upon the entrance of
Paul and Kate.
Kids Let Loose
Driver in the Woods
At the end of the last full week of rehearsals we suddenly
realised that we were missing a possibly vital scene for
Driver. We had created a scene where he receives a
phone call that clearly gives him some terrible news. The
suggestion is that he is too late to see his little boy and
the child has passed away. Following this he is seen in
the woods, numb with the pain of it all, singing the
version of Paul and Madeline’s Frank Sinatra song. We
thought that Driver had to go through some process to
get to this point. Something had to happen between the
phone call and the song.
At this extremely late stage we are talking about a
moment in the woods where Drivers emotions explode. A
physical scene where his anguish boils over and exhausts
him so that we then appreciate the stillness that he
possesses in the song. This is the scene that allows all of
Driver’s pent up rage to come to the surface. So much of
the script has him holding back emotions and bowing to
definition. We were desperate to see what driver would be
capable of outside those confines, outside the world of
Paul Cave and deep in the woods.
We usually don’t particularly like it when a writer tells the director, through a stage direction, to get physical. We feel this often separates the
words from the physicality and creates a predictable pattern to the show.
The flip side of this is when a writer tosses us a gem of a stage direction like ‘Kids let loose’ (p.25). This direction has physical scene written all
over it but the beauty is that while it is not overly prescriptive it says all it needs to say. It has all the attitude of the scene itself.
What is interesting is that its openness means that different productions will create completely different scenes from this simple instruction.
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Chapter 4 Essay Suggestions
THE PLAY
The Excuse
Spin And I knew I didn’t feel that good. And I knew I didn’t feel that bad.
I just knew I’d be okay from now on. Cos’ - I had an excuse.
What is this excuse? An excuse for what? Their behaviour? Their lifestyles? Their choices?
Who else has ‘an excuse?’ How does this manifest?
What is Paul’s excuse?
Kate’s?
Madeline’s?
Driver’s?
The Real World
Where does the Real World exist in this play? (Does it at all?)
Note that in the published script Madeline answers the phone at the end of the show with the words
‘Hello. Madeline Cave. The Real World. How can I help you?’ (p.100)
The Frantic production, at present, has chosen to omit these lines. How does this alter the viewer’s
understanding of the play? What sense is lost or gained by their inclusion or omission?
What do you think happens when Madeline answers the phone at the end of the play?
(We felt that the characters only ever really communicated in silence and that words constantly got in
the way. Once Madeline and Paul find each other in the woods and embrace there is no needs for
words. Their embrace expresses nearly twenty years of pain, loss and apology).
THE SHOW
Kate Let’s not fight. Let’s have a drink. Paul? (p.41)
This sparks a flurry of activity from the characters. What does this stylised movement pattern tell us?
(The intention is to show time passing, like the evening has been physically speeded up. Also it
introduces the family politics that exist under the surface. Notice that Spin is usually a step behind or
merely following another character like a lost puppy. He is an outsider and is always trying to catch up).
Look out for more non naturalistic movement sections. What does this offer?
How does it comment on the situation?
Paul and Madeline
These two battle throughout the play. How is their reconciliation portrayed?
What does this say about their problems?
Are there moments when actions speak louder than words?
Performance styles
Rabbit asks a lot of its performers and its audience. The performers (as in all plays) are asked to portray
a context and a subtext. What disciplines have been employed? Where does the stylised meet the
naturalistic and the expressionistic?
THEATRE AND FILM
The directors have spoken about Rabbit as being a first half told through theatre sensibilities and a
second half told through filmic sensibilities. What techniques have been employed within the show to
back this up? Does this bare scrutiny or is theatre always just theatre?
THE SET
How does the set attempt to portray two very different worlds? (Which seems more Real?)
How does the lighting develop during the production? How does it reflect the disintegration of the
Cave family? (Technically, it moves from mainly naturalistic top lighting to much starker and striking
side lighting as the characters become more grotesque. The lighting in the forest is constantly changing
to unnerve the characters and remind them that they are not in control).
PETER RABBIT
What significance does the Peter Rabbit story have to the situation between Paul and Madeline? Does it
reflect their past as well as their present / future?
17

Bibliography and Inspiration
OR ‘WHERE WE STEAL IDEAS FROM’
The Long Weekend dir. Colin Eggleston film
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof dir. Richard Brooks film
Six Feet Under created by Alan Ball television
Deadly Avenger
music
Thomas Newman Soundtracks
music
The Last Supper Leonardo Da Vinci art
Enrique Metinedes
photography
Felt Mountain Goldfrapp music
The Corrections Jonathan Frantzen novel
Star Wars George Lucas film
Ozymandias PB Shelley poetry
Pieter Claesz and the Vanitas movement
art
Video for There There Radiohead film
Frantic Assembly cast list / creative / pr
Sam Crane
Helen Heaslip
Susan Kyd
David Sibley
Karl Sullivan
Spin
Madeline Cave
Kate Cave
Paul Cave
The Driver
Written by
Directors
Choreography
Design
Lighting Design
Featuring music
Additional music
Brendan Cowell
Scott Graham and Steven Hoggett
Karl Sullivan, Scott Graham, Steven Hoggett
Dick Bird
Giuseppe di Iorio
Deadly Avenger
Thomas Newman & Carter Burnwell
Production Manager
Company Stage manager
Technical Stage Manager
Set Build
Props Maker
Backdrop Artwork
Costume Supervisor
Sound Effects
Production Runner
Jai Lusser
Tom Cotterill
Heidi Riley
Adrian Snell
Paula Eden
Brenda Clisham
Hattie Barsby
Nick Manning
Hannah Powell
Producer
Administrator
PR/ Company Associate
Graphic Design
Marketing Manager
Vicki Middleton
Sinead MacManus
Ben Chamberlain, Chamberlain McAuley
Emma Cooke, Chamberlain McAuley
Clair Chamberlain, Chamberlain McAuley
Image Credits: Front Cover & p.18 -
Untitled: What makes certain by John Isaacs.
By kind permission of the 20:21 Gallery.
p.2 Emma Cooke
p.3, 4, 5, 9, 11, 15, 16 Perou
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