Modern Shakespeare holds ‘30 Plays in 60 Minutes’ auditions

The approach to the ongoing auditions for the Modern Shakespeare Society’s “30 Plays in 60 Minutes” is as unique as the performances themselves will be.

The auditions — which began Monday and are continuing with callbacks today — didn’t ask prospective actors to just memorize a typical monologue, but rather to write and perform their own.

The audition process for the LAB! Theatre offshoot group mirrors the work that cast members of “30 Plays in 60 Minutes” will do to prepare for their weekly shows.

The neo-futurist aesthetic is a style originally created by an experimental Chicago theater troupe called The Neo-Futurists. The style demands complete honesty from actors, constant, quick-paced performances and numerous plays of consistent brevity — something that “30 Plays in 60 Minutes” captures in both the style of writing and performance.

At the beginning of each show, performers must be ready to perform the 30 plays in any order the audience calls them out. Whether they perform all 30 is up to audience participation and sheer luck.

At the auditions on Monday night, LAB! artistic directors Kevin Spellman and Haley Smyser said, due to the flexible and evolving nature of the group, they are not looking for any specific type of performer but rather those who will best fit into the future of their group.

Spellman, a senior information science and dramatic art major, said the audtions are exciting for the company.

“We are looking to build up our company so that the longevity increases. So I figure it’d be pretty fair to say that we’re looking for some younger talent,” he said.

“At the same time, though, we are going to be looking for what we always have: for people who have an openness to experiencing and creating this kind of art.”

Spellman said being a creative writer is important, and he wants to see skilled storytelling in each performance.

“I think, first and foremost, we want people with a creative mind who are ready to be on stage, tell their stories, work with us to tell our stories and move forward beyond that,” said Smyser, a senior communications and English major.

Actors were given five minutes to perform their piece and were notified if they made callbacks on Monday night.

The second day of auditions will ask performers to work as a group to create their own original five plays in 10 minutes to further demonstrate they belong in the group.

William Booker, a freshman Spanish and psychology major, auditioned for “30 Plays in 60 Minutes” on Monday and said it was a new experience that challenged him.

“This was completely out of my element because the audition process was to write your monologue in the neo-futurist style,” he said.

“Before looking at the audition process I had never looked at that term before, but the whole thing is portraying yourself and being autobiographical. I’ve heard great things about it.”

arts@dailytarheel.com