Realer Than Real?
The Laramie Project, as mentioned earlier, is a work created by Moisés Kaufman and the members of Tectonic Theater Project through their interviews with hundreds of people who were involved in this moment. Meaning - the characters are based on REAL people. It is a very different style of theatre which, at times, feels very much like a Brechtian documentary on Laramie, Wyoming and this one moment that galvanized this community. ONE of the challenges, as we will discuss during auditions and throughout the rehearsal process, will be your ability to create fully developed, real, natural characters one moment and then, seconds later, drop that mask and don a new, different character who is equally developed.
Therefore, as you are looking for pieces for this audition, you MAY want to consider perusing options that are not the "usual fare" for theatre auditions. One possibility would be transcripts from ACTUAL incidents or trials, which would be very much in the style of this production. One interesting source that you may want to explore is "Famous Trials", which is a database of transcripts from numerous trials, dating back to ancient Greece. Obviously, there are many more options that exist which you can find everywhere online. Also, you may find that you may need to cut together some of these "eyewitness" accounts to achieve the desired length for your audition. However, I do want to remind you now (and again and again) that the LENGTH of the piece is NOT the important aspect of your audition. Rather, it is the truthful, honest, believable MOMENTS of character life that you create onstage. And there will be one little "wrinkle" that will be added to everyone's audition. More on this when we're all back in September.
And, as also mentioned previously, the production will be an ensemble piece, much like last year's production of Metamorphoses. The play relies very much on a strong, connected group of actors, who transform into multiple characters, as well as numerous narrators who serve to shepard the viewer through the story. Therefore, we will be employing/exploring "Viewpoints" work as we navigate through the rehearsal process (and Audition Process as well). It will be a voyage of discovery of the individual, the content, the physical space of the stage and of the ensemble as an interconnected group. It is my hope that much of the final look and feel of the production will be a unique, organic performnce that is shaped by those in the company. I also hope that our focus on Viewpoints throughout the rehearsal process will help you all in this and future productions.
"A Month From Now You'll Wish ..." ;)
