…that’s the title of the latest stage reading I found myself contributing my voice and energy to.
Here’s an excerpt of its whatabouts:
A History of the Body, written by Aimee Suzara
A History of the Body, a new multidisciplinary theater work by Aimee Suzara (founder of the Pagbabalik/Return Project) explores the impacts of colonization on the body, using the particular history of Filipino Americans to illuminate universal experience. The play, in development, addresses beauty, skin color and whitening, and exposition. A short segment / scene will be shown followed by a facilitated, lively dialogue about the themes with the writer, director, audience members and invited guests.
This time, the gig came to me as a referral from a fellow actor. After some e-mail correspondence with the writer, I was onboard. Come the day of the actual read, I didn’t quite realize it was fairly deep in Hunter’s Point, Bay Shore. Yikes. Luckily, I was offered a ride from a good friend of mine. The dance studio was in a nondescript building at the end of a block. And inside…
Really, it was more or less solid concrete and metal. I was, however, quite surprised at the actual studio space…
It had a decent view too…
The actual reading went quite well, I should say. I ended up reading a handful of the male characters (Of the nine there, I was the only male) and by the end of it, I had a couple pages worth of notes for the writer. The other readers were fairly on the same page with critiques and I was excited to see what may come of all the input. The dialogue that followed the critiques were fun to listen/participate in as everyone to come from all walks of life.
This stage reading was much smaller than the recent ones I’ve attended. I had a whole day to myself prior to attending, so I took the time to snag some Anthony’s Cookies for the participants. It’s a crowd pleasure, that’s for sure!
There were other goodies too!
Can't go wrong with these two...
Apparently, Aimee’s friend works (or owns?) Besto Pesto! She also brought this tasty dish.
If you’re interested in catching a second reading of The History of the Body which is open to the public, follow this Facebook link.
A History of the Body: Staged Excerpt & Story Circle Sunday October 23, 2011, 7:30 pm General Admission $10 Students and Seniors $8 CounterPULSE 1310 Mission St San Francisco, CA 94103 (415) 626-2060Follow @tasialabastro