Joe Lycett and Olivia Cooke are among the latest stars set to perform in the West End production White Rabbit Red Rabbit. Lycett, a comedian and TV presenter, will take the stage on November 2, while Cooke, an actress, is scheduled for November 23.
A unique theatrical challenge
The production sees a different actor take the stage each time before being presented with a sealed envelope holding a script they have never seen before. They perform it with no rehearsal and no director.
To mark the 15th anniversary of the experimental drama, stars including David Tennant, Luke Thompson, Ginger Johnson and David Harewood have already been part of the line-up for the singular performance.
Cast and schedule details
Lycett, 38, is best known for appearing on Taskmaster, Never Mind The Buzzcocks, 8 Out Of 10 Cats, The Great British Sewing Bee and LOL: Last One Laughing UK. He is also currently appearing on the second season of BBC series The Celebrity Traitors.
Cooke, 32, is best known for playing Alicent Hightower in the Game Of Thrones spin-off series House Of The Dragon and spy Sidonie 'Sid' Baker in Slow Horses.
Their performances are part of the play's extended run, which will continue until December 14, with performances taking place weekly on Mondays at the Duchess Theatre. They join previously announced stars including Bait's Riz Ahmed, The Mash Report's Nish Kumar and Game of Thrones' John Bradley, who will each perform on October 12, 19 and 26. Further cast will be announced soon for the final performances.
A global theatrical phenomenon
To date, White Rabbit Red Rabbit has been performed more than 4,000 times. Other stars who have previously performed in the show include Whoopi Goldberg, Cynthia Nixon, Michael Sheen, Sir Lenny Henry, and Daisy Edgar-Jones.
First performed in 2011, the play was written by Nassim Soleimanpour when he was forbidden to leave Iran. The production has been put on by his new theatre company, There & Then, which he co-founded alongside theatre director Omar Elerian.
Described as a "singular, unrepeatable experience shaped entirely by how that performer embraces the unknown", it has been translated into more than 25 different languages. Soleimanpour previously said the production began as a "leap into the unknown" before becoming a "shared theatrical language" and foundation of the new theatre company.
Elerian added: "In these fragile and uncertain times, we hope to reaffirm that risk, imagination and the enduring power of storytelling remain among our most vital and transformative forces." Tickets for the show start at £25.
