E.M.U. players entertain KU, Lawrence with unique performances
By Torrie Jones writer@kansan.com Special to the Kansan
A man scrunches his body into a human ball and barrels across the floor. Two people have a conversation, throwing verses back and forth faster than the lightning round on "Family Feud."
Practice is underway for E.M.U.
E. M.U., a theater collective in its third season, is giving aspiring playwrights and actors a chance to perform original works in an open and collaborative setting. The group was founded by young playwrights and performers from the Lawrence area who wanted to add a unique element to the local arts scene.
The theater troupe has performed ten shows in its three seasons and is now working on the eleventh, tentatively titled "Shorts and Flip-Flops/Words are Meaningless." The project is an audio-visual collage exploring the use of language.
The "company" is composed of a pool of actors, actresses, directors and writers who are kept on call for appropriate projects. There are no particular requirements for being in E.M.U. (The acronym has yet to be determined.) What interests the group most is facilitating the needs of other artists and building a sense of community.
"This is my first experience directing outside of class assignments, and this is also my first time working with E.M.U.," Selig said. "The whole experience has been a microcosm of what E.M.U. is all about because I've gotten plenty of assistance from the company, the performers and my co-directors."
Amy McCarville and Jenny Selig, both Lawrence residents, are conducting the project.
McCarrille said that part of E.M.U.'s beauty was that productions didn't need to fit a particular formula. Since the hierarchy of the company is built around collective goals, the ego of the individual has to be put in check for the sake of the bigger vision.
The approach the group brings to the stage is different from standard theater in that the project generally begins and ends with E M U.
The first step in bringing a show to life is the writers' submission of
an original work. Since E.M.U. provides playwrights the opportunity to test out new works with actors and directors at their disposal, the company receives many scripts. At a meeting following submission of a play, the troupe's board reads the script.
If the piece strikes the company as unique and full of potential then the next step is staffing the play with the required number of performers. This is when Nathan Ladman, Lawrence resident and E.M.U. board member, pulls out the rodelox.
"Word of mouth throughout the artistic community about what E.M.U. does has has brought in a variety of talented individuals," Ladman said. "Students as well as people from the town have showed interest in being apart of what we do."
Once the cast has been chosen and the directors picked for the job, the collaboration process between directors and performers begins. The challenge is putting a spin on something that has never been spun before.
Unlike conventional theater, where the cast generally acts out scripts that have already been conceived, copyrighted and celebrated, the collective has the task of turning words and concepts into a completely functional work of art. Often the plays chosen are much more abstract than mainstream pieces so it's essential that those involved agree on how to interpret the material.
Kitty Steffens, Lawrence junior and Sarah Mathews, Lawrence resident are both featured in the upcoming production.
"This is completely different for me because I'm usually involved in more mainstream theater productions, and at first I was concerned because of how abstract the material was," Steffens said. "Now that we're further along in the creative process, I'm excited about the opportunity at hand."
E. M.U. is working towards seeking non-profit organization status, which would further legitimize the company as a self-sufficient force in the dramatic arts community.
"Recieving non-profit status is very important in planning the future of the company." Ladman said.
All of the past productions have been on the stage at Ecumenical Christian Ministries 1204 Oread Ave. For the project at hand, "Shorts and Flip-Flops/Words are Meaningless," the group is changing venues to the Lawrence Arts Center. The Arts Center will accommodate a larger audience and provide more room for the performers. The stage
also is more acoustically sound.
The show will be performed Friday, Oct. 6 at 9 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 7 at 8 and 11 p.m. and Sunday, Oct. 8 at 4 p.m.
The tickets are priced in the five-to-seven-dollar range.
"We keep the ticket prices down in order to keep the art accessible." McCaryle said.
E. M.U. can be contacted by e-mail at emutheater@egroups.com for questions about submitting original works, auditioning for productions and upcoming performances
In a field in which egos, politics, hierarchy sometimes go hand in hand with "Lights, camera, action," the E.M.U. collective strives toward creating a sense of balance and cohesion within the arts arena.
"We view ourselves as being a unique and independent voice in a choir full of voices equally gifted," Selig said.
Maggie Allen, Lawrence resident, emerges from her hiding place in the early parts of the EMU rehearsal Tuesday night. EMU is an independent theater collective promoting the exploration of language and the production of original playplays. Photo by Craig Bennett/KANSAN
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