Video has not killed the radio star ““ at least not yet.
The L.A. Theatre Works radio theater presentation of David
Auburn’s play “Proof” disproves the idea of the
classic ’80s song.
Part of the L.A. Theatre Works radio theater performances, David
Auburn’s “Proof” is presented in the classic
radio style with actors reading the dialogue without physically
performing. Starring Anne Heche, who played the lead on Broadway,
with Robert Foxworth, Jeremy Sisto and Kaitlin Hopkins, people can
come watch the readings at the Skirball Cultural Center through
Jan. 12 before they air on KPCC 89.3.
Winner of the Pulitzer Prize and the 2001 Tony Award for Best
Play, “Proof” recounts the life of a family blessed
with a father who is a mathematical genius and schizophrenic, a
manipulative sister, an enigmatic young woman and the search for
the truth behind a perplexing mathematical proof.
“The performance is an attempt to keep radio alive,”
said Hopkins, who plays Clair. “Radio is now a dying art
form, and this performance allows us to celebrate how plays were
performed.”
While a radio performance cannot directly replace a live theater
experience, this type of media does offer benefits the theater does
not.
“Most people aren’t able to see numerous Broadway
productions, so doing the play on recording allows it to reach a
larger audience,” Hopkins said. “These performances
also help the actor ““ they help me develop a stronger
performance voice that allows me to play a role more realistically
and therefore connect with the audience.”
For Heche, the experience sheds light on a different aspect of
performance.
“The challenge in this performance for me was
transitioning from a Broadway audience to this other type of
audience,” Heche said. “I was used to looking at the
audience and making movement, but now my voice and my vocal
abilities are more important and vital to the performance and for
the audience.”
L.A. Theatre Works designed these radio readings, which have
included others such as a radio performance of “The Grapes of
Wrath,” “Misalliance” and “The
Foreigner,” to give the audience an unseen perspective of
theater.
“What’s different about these performances is that
they are simple ““ no sets, no costume changes, no complex
scene change, just the play,” said Sisto, who plays Hal.
“The audience just hears the words written by the playwright
and can fully absorb what he was expressing by just
listening.”
While attending a reading may seem less eventful to some,
“Proof” uses unique sound effects, voice expressions
and scene-setting background music to lead viewers and listeners
into a world where they can imagine the play, according to
Heche.
“This kind of performance is very different from usual
readings because they transport the audience into the setting and
ambiance of a Broadway performance,” Hopkins said.
“They give the audience a chance to really concentrate on
just the words and meaning of play rather than seeing 10 different
scenes and elaborate costumes.”
By not displaying physical movements for the audience members,
it forces them to imagine and put themselves in the play to observe
it.
“This is the kind of performance that will help keep
theater and play productions alive,” Hopkins said. “By
recording the readings of the play, people generations to come will
enjoy the expertise of actors expressing the immortal words of
playwrights.”
“Proof” will be performing at the Skirball Cultural
Institute Jan. 10 at 8 p.m. and Jan. 12 at 4 and 7:30 p.m. Student
tickets are $26 and general admission is $36. For more info, call
(800) 708-8863 or visit www.LATW.org.