¿­ÐýÃŹÙÍø

Course Description

Summary

In Spring 2023 ¿­ÐýÃŹÙÍø students have the opportunity to collaborate with director/devisor Jean Randich, playwright Frances Ya-Chu Cowhig, and designer/video artist Sue Rees on the development of an in-progress script whose themes and form are situated in the crosshairs of Cowhig's teaching focus at ¿­ÐýÃŹÙÍø: Crafting It-Narratives (stories centering non-human subjects) and Playwriting as Civic Inquiry. Ensemble members (roles are not race/gender specific) will have the opportunity to influence the development of a new play (the ethos is 'Best Idea Wins'), explore ways to theatricalize abstract concepts (corporate personhood, civil rights for legal fictions), and refine/replace/generate scenes through structured improvisation. This experimental play is inspired by the 19th century British It-Narrative 'Autobiography of a Joint Stock Corporation,' the history of the corporate civil rights movement in the United States, and multinational corporations’ ongoing attempts to shield themselves from their liabilities at the expense of the health of their consumers. It's also inspired by Monty Python skits, Bouffon comedy, and Snow White. Actors in the ensemble will be tasked with playing a range of nonhuman and mythically inspired roles that have resonance with contemporary consumer rights issues. These roles include Corporate Persons (a parent health + beauty corporation and her daughter shell companies), Wizards (Corporate Lawyers), Knights (Corporate Lobbyists), Hairless Witches (Consumers/Plaintiffs with Cancer), a Magic Billboard, and the FDA Dragon. Process Over Product: We will begin with the third draft of Cowhig's script, which will represent Cowhig's best initial efforts to push a story inspired by Johnson Johnson's recent attempts to dodge their asbestos-laced talcum liability through a divisive merger (aka the 'Texas Two Step') into a theatricalized fable form. It will be our task to play, ask questions and generate new theatrical possibilities through devising and structured improvisation. Throughout this process Cowhig will continue to develop the script based on her own impulses, provocations from the ensemble, and material generated through improv. Participants will gain insights into an 'on your feet' ensemble driven model of a new play development process, one that invites embodied ensemble exploration and devising as well as seated table work. The course culminates in a streamlined workshop production experience that will share our staging of the 'work-in-progress' script with the audience. We will make drafts of the script available in the Drama Conference room and also provide a link for downloading up to date versions of the script. Unibeauty is a Health Beauty company who is so proud of her civil rights achievements that she and her fellow corporations stage pageants to celebrate their progress.  But when Hairless Witches serve her Class Action Curses she is forced to reckon with the true impact of her legacy. How to Audition: Auditions will be held Thursday February 23 Friday February 24, 7-10 pm in Vapa D-207. Sign up for a slot on the callboard outside D-208. Callbacks are Saturday and Sunday, Feb 25 and 26, time TBA. For Script Essential Audition Information: