Rabbit & Watson will be staged as part of Darebin’s Speakeasy Program July 15 – 26
Rabbit & Watson is a gay love story that weaves fate, love, social expectation, and shame into a bold reimagining of what it means to be in a relationship under public scrutiny. Set between the high-stakes world of the AFL—a hypermasculine sport with no currently out players—and the charged corridors of a high school, the play draws from Chinese mythology and specifically The Rabbit God, an immortal charged with protecting and overseeing gay romances.
In a past life, Rabbit was executed alongside his lover, Watson. His punishment moved the people from his village and ascended into an minor immortal. Rabbit in his post feels like a fraud and devises a plan with his friend the Monkey King to face a mortal trial to level up his powers to have a say in the fate of gay relationships. However, Rabbit has never truly let go of his first love and in his mortal life he is yet again paired with the same soul, who is Watson, a rising AFL star. Can Rabbit successfully pass this trial and get his happy ending?
But when Rabbit misuses his powers—accidentally pushing Watson into the media spotlight—he must confront what it means to love someone whose life is lived under constant public gaze. The play draws on tropes from Asian gay dramas, romantic comedies, Beijing opera, and melodrama to create a vibrant, heightened theatrical world. With deities, family entanglements, and bustling workplace dynamics shaping the landscape, Rabbit & Watson offers a fresh, culturally rich take on gay love—and the invisible hurdles that still stand in its way.
This is a story about longing, legacy, and learning to let go. A love epic with footy boots and red thread.
Development History
July to October 2024 : Initial Draft dramaturged by Raimondo Cortese & Chris Mead
October 2024: Initial public reading of Draft 10 of play at the VCA Writer’s Festival 2024
January 2025: Exploration & Development of Version 11 with Keith Brockett
April 2025: Exploration & Development of Version 12 with Keith Brockett
July 2025: Exploration & Development of Rabbit & Watson central story with Keith Brockett, Anton Pan-Cassian and Sean Yuen Halley
Creatives
Writer: Shane Woon
Director: Keith Brockett
Swoony: Playwright 