CASTING (Capsule Review)

[Original publication: No Proscenium, 9/20/22]

Get in theatre nerds, we’re going to CASTING!

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Winning the Grand Prize at the 2019 LA Immersive Invitational, CASTING came together within just 48 hours. You would never know it. The design choices are thoughtfully, artfully crafted; the production feels cohesive and complete. With a runtime of only 20–30 minutes (the average length of a typical audition), it’s a compressed and communal experience.

The production gathers six to 12 participants at Thymele Arts (a perfect venue with its Hollywood location and scrappy, non-union vibe). Combining theater, dance, interactive video, and sound design the audience is invited to… audition. For what exactly? And for who? These and other questions may — or may not — be answered during the course of the show.

Dancer, choreographer, and multimedia artist Koryn Wicks and her team leverage the bizarre particulars of auditioning resulting in an experience full of humor, heart, and catharsis. While the production will resonate most with current or former performers, it’s a joyful reprieve for everyone. The show is self-aware, welcoming, and offers a specific kind of play. Two “auditioners” lob information and espouse direction (much of it fantastically improvised by Sam Alper) that somehow seem logical and absurd. Participants observe and engage in response.

The mix of performer interaction, participant dynamics, and face masks (constricting facial expression and vocal projection) creates a beautiful alchemy around our perception of the fourth wall (both in art and life), and when we choose to break it. Torquing the odd prompts and exercises of the audition process, CASTING spotlights how we extract meaning and cajole connection to brilliant effect.