Auditions!

Auditions for That Day in September are this weekend.

"Auditions are for Dreamwell Theatre’s production of “That Day in September,” by Artie Van Why. Roles are available for a diverse cast of eight actors, ages 18 to 80, men and women. Copies of the script are available at the library. Directed by Matthew Falduto, the play is based on the author’s experiences before and after the September 11 attacks."

When: 2 to 5 p.m., Sunday, July 15, 2007
Where: Iowa City Public Library
More information: (319) 541-0140

I am getting excited about the show. What is making it more interesting to me is the unusual nature of the play. It's not a staright narrative with multiple characters interacting and reaching a resolution. This is a play with one character played silmutaneously by eight very different actors. There's going to be a different feel to it. The direction is going to be key to making it work. Oftentimes in plays, actors have a pretty good idea of what will work well in a scene. But this show really throws a lot of that out the window. I think there will need to be an emphasis on the physicality of the interaction between the actors. Lots of touching. There must be a feeling from the audience that these actors are connected and I think a good way to do that is to show that connection with physical interaction. That's, of course, not in the script anywhere, so we're going to have to figure it out together. I am torn about lights. I am beginning to think they will be a distraction to the feeling I want to create of bringing the audience into the show. Lights up and down could create a separation that might not work for this piece. But at the same time, I don't want to lose all theater conventions that we're used to.

The other part of the show that makes it exciting for me is the subject matter. We, that is the citizens of the United States of America, need to talk about September 11 again. It's starting to become history and we need to remember it. We need to remember how it made us feel to see those planes hit the Towers. We need to examine our collective reaction to that tragedy - the good parts and the bad. We need to figure out what we did right and what we did wrong. And when we look at the mistakes we made, we need to take a moment to understand how we got there and why.

"He who fights monsters should look into it that he himself does not become a monster. When you gaze long into the Abyss, the Abyss also gazes into you." - Friedrich Nietzsche