From the beginning, there was nothing typical about University Theatre’s “Anonymous.”
“Anonymous” isn’t your average scripted play; it’s a devised work, which means that it was collectively created by the performers.
The performance, which will address issues of anonymity and privacy in modern society, barely existed back in the fall when director John Schmor held auditions. But through his own research and the research of his students, the project came together over the course of the year to be a unique theater experience.
Drawing from historical sources like peep shows, freak shows and fun houses, as well as modern sources like the Internet, Schmor’s students compiled information and experiences on what anonymity is and what it means.
“I believe it is fantastic ‘theatre cross-training’ – requiring our students to think and work like dramaturges, playwrights, designers, directors, and actors, often all at once!” Schmor said, according to a press release. “They have to draw from what they know of all the areas in order to build a show; and even better, they have to put their artistic choices to the great test of public performance.”
For Schmor’s students, who come from backgrounds in theater, dance and art, this devising experience was unique because it provided a kind of collaborative learning process.
“I’ve never done a play where I don’t get a script. I like the idea of the first day all we had was the word ‘anonymous.’ We saw what other people brought to the table about what they thought anonymity was, what anonymous actions should be and what they are,” said Madeline Hicks, a University sophomore who plays a variety of parts in the performance.
“If you want to write a play individually, it’s easier, but you’re not going to get the kind of material you’ll get with 16 minds,” senior Derek Johnson said.
Hicks said that because there are so many people working on the project and bringing in their own perspectives, it often produces a sense of unpredictability.
“You never know what’s going to happen next. I’m sure from performance to performance things are going to change,” she said. “There’s stuff that happens that’s like, ‘wait, I didn’t know that was going on.’”
In addition to originating in the minds of its performers, “Anonymous” is unique in that instead of taking place on one stage in one theater, the performance spans three theaters, six “special rooms” and four floors of Villard Hall.
It’s an open-ended, free-flowing walkthrough, which means that audience members – if that’s what you would call them – can come as go as they please.
“Unlike most shows people have seen where you walk in a theater and expect to be entertained, you have the freedom and power to choose the path you take during the performance,” Hicks said.
Similarly, the production’s creators hope this irregular setup will allow audiences to forge individual experiences from the show. Adding to the individuality of the performances is the fact that none of the characters have names, making the show a practice in anonymity in addition to being a study in it.
“If (audiences) don’t know who you are, they can read into it a lot of different things. It generates all kinds of different reactions,” Schmor said. “People are going to have to make choices; the performers are unknown, so the audience has to be proactive.”
Indeed, there will be opportunities for audience members to take anonymous actions of their own if they choose, to “have the freedom to do something that no one knows you’re doing,” Hicks said.
Such is the true nature of anonymity, according to Schmor. “There’s a kind of performance in every anonymous act,” he said.
And details about what to expect from the performances remain scarce, staying true to the anonymous nature of the show.
“I think it’ll be a piece of theater like no one has ever experienced,” Hicks said.
“Anonymous” opens May 18 and runs through June 3, and because of the nature of the show, audience members are encouraged to arrive slightly early or slightly late for their reserved ticket times.