Lab! Theatre Production delves into human psyche

For the past few months, the cast and crew of Lab! Theatre's latest production have faced their share of creative frustrations and artistic epiphanies.

And for some of the UNC students preparing for the opening of David Lindsay-Abaire's award-winning production, "Rabbit Hole," perfecting the production has been the top priority.

"I knew immediately that this was an ambitious project from all angles: directing, acting and technical production," said senior Nikhil Pai, the show's director. "I felt the most important goal would be to honor the intricacies of the play."

"Rabbit Hole" presents a skewed version of domestic life in which the characters are forced to reevaluate the roles they wish to play in life. The show's story centers on the emotional impact of an accidental killing of a small child.

Lindsay-Abaire is most recognized for his honest and sincere dialogue, but the play manages to still contain a witty edginess.

"The play anatomizes the resiliency of human nature in response to tragedy," said Pai. "If I had one word to describe it, it would be 'survival.'"

The performance chronicles a mother's ongoing mourning of her deceased son and her willingness to carry on with life afterward.

"I encouraged my actors to pursue character choices that were particularly difficult and different from them," Pai said.

All of the characters in the five-member cast are portrayed as intense people isolated by their sorrow.

"Rehearsals allow actors the time to capture the true essence of their character," said Sarah Berk, a sophomore who plays Izzy. "With continued familiarity of the script, one develops a sense of the character's wants, needs and desires."

Much of the rehearsal process is discovery, which allows the director and his cast to experiment and make mistakes.

"The rehearsal process is particularly complex," said Kristin Elliott, the show's producer. "Dedication and a willingness to learn are necessary from everyone involved."

Pai said a great deal of rehearsal time was focused on staging, a salient aspect of the show.

The play was originally written for a proscenium stage, where the performance area is usually framed on the sides and the top. However, the Elizabeth Kenan Price Theatre is a thrust stage, in which the audience surrounds the acting area on three sides.

While the show's Broadway version used a rotating platform to change between three locations, the set developed for the Lab!'s production is designed to be more intimate. The set resembles a home, takes place on a smaller space and none of its pieces move.

The cast took into account that "Rabbit Hole" is a play that can speak across a wide demographic, because many people can relate to surviving the loss of a loved one.

"I believe that each actor had a challenge to work with in embracing their character, and I was thrilled to see how each of them rose to that challenge," Pai said.

Contact the Arts Editor at artsdesk@unc.edu.