Auditions will be held for an experimental theater work conceived by Yelena Gluzman and inspired by Thorton Wilder’s OUR TOWN. Using some of Wilder’s original text, as well as text from philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein, this piece seeks to highlight the conditions through which a community is constituted, and will focus specifically on the communities which emerge from theatrical labor and language.

We are seeking actors of any age, type, or gender. More important than any of these factors is that the actor is (1) interested in and devoted to the physical and psychological challenges of acting (including mimesis, transformation, and embodied communication); (2) interested in the multiple possibilities of text, and able to memorize reasonable amounts of text; and, at the same time, (3) seeking to pursue experimental or conceptual ideas in theater, to relate these to larger (philosophic, economic, ethnographic) questions, and generally willing to put themselves in uncomfortable, risky, or unprecedented positions in order to draw out new notions of theater itself.

This audition will be held during the Performance Studies international Conference on Friday June 29th, at the University of Leeds. There will be no production following the audition, nor any pay offered (though auditioners will receive a small honorarium for their time and effort). We will be able to work with only 5 auditioners, so please reply only if you are serious about participating and available on June 29.

To apply, please send an email with a description of yourself, your background, and your (theatrical, artistic, or philosophical) interests. Attach a headshot and resume. If you do not have a proper headshot, a clear photo of yourself is acceptable. Please indicate “LEEDS AUDITION” in the subject field of your email.

EMAIL: yelenagluzman at gmail dot com