For most, an evening at the theater means a pricey ticket in a far removed, if not grandiose location. One local theater company is working to change this perception by bringing live theater, quite literally, to your living room.
The Ahimsa Collective, which takes its name from the Sanskrit vow of peace, will be performing “Epilogue (The Living Room Tour)” until Nov. 7 in Los Angeles and Orange Country in 17 different living rooms.
Founded at UC Irvine, the Ahimsa Collective has been testing the boundaries of theater since its beginning. The group performs original theater pieces or experimental versions of classics in various nontraditional settings.
“We do all new work or very wild deconstructions of old work in unconventional spaces like parks, beaches, public bathrooms or, in this case, living rooms,” said Negin Singh, artistic director of Ahimsa and executive producer of “Epilogue.” “For instance, we will never put on a very classic version of “˜My Fair Lady’ because you can find something like that at the Geffen. We want to do something that is uniquely us, and in that sense, we are underground theater.”
Novelty aside, the main focus of Ahimsa is not simply to push theatrical boundaries but rather to make theater affordable and accessible ““ as affordable as $10 and as accessible as a living room in your community.
“We want to create an abundance of art so that price and proximity are never an issue ““ so that, if you want it, it is near and affordable,” said Jack De Sena, UCLA alumnus and director of “Epilogue.” “Give us your living room, and we will give you a play. There is no bureaucracy, no price tags, and we will leave your place a little more lively and open.”
Not surprisingly, the lack of a formal stage presents some challenges to executing a production, especially when the irregular size of various living rooms constantly changes the parameters of the space being used. However, De Sena feels the staging hurdles ultimately create a more authentic theater experience.
“It was a really cool challenge specifically in this setting. Directing for a living room has a lot of specific demands ““ making sure a show is adaptable and it can thrive, that you put it in a living room, and it feels like it should be there,” De Sena said.
Using only a three-person cast, “Epilogue” takes place in a post-apocalyptic world where the three survivors are contemplating suicide. Implicit in the name, “Epilogue” presents their final conversations before their death. Written by playwright Matt Chester, “Epilogue” is an original piece written to fit the parameters of the living-room setting.
It was the intimate nature of the play, where the conversation of the actors becomes a close confessional with the audience, that drew De Sena to the project as his first directing gig.
“There is no hiding; the audience is at most five feet away from you, and it demands a really honest performance,” De Sena said. “The honesty was really appealing as a director because the actors had to really know their characters. They had to be even more thriving and alive.”
Because of the emotional intensity of the acting and the audience’s proximity to the actors, the play can be viewed as a risky theatrical endeavor.
“It can be intimidating at first to be so close to the audience. You notice a lot more when the audience isn’t engaging, it just kind of forces you to never let that happen,” said Colin O’Brien-Lux, a fourth-year theater student, who plays the role of Eric. “With this (kind of acting) it feels a little bit more subtle, and I think I tend to emote more subtly than other people do just naturally. It is cool to bring out this part of myself that tends to be ignored otherwise.”
More than just an opportunity for actors to hone their acting skills, the living room tour also creates an opportunity for audience members to socialize in a comfortable setting. Through this social interaction, Ahimsa members hope communities will form closer bonds, leading to more tolerant, peaceful human interaction.
“(Ahimsa) is about celebration. Our motto is “˜Every night is an opening night,’ since we are in a new space. We have wine and cheese and socialize before the show. It is really about getting to know your community and the possibilities within your community. It is a movement we are trying to emphasize. We want the community to see that and do their own living room tours,” Singh said.
While the piece may be divergent from more cheerful theater, and the setting unconventional at best, “Epilogue” seeks to do what all theater ultimately does ““ to inspire audience members in one way or another and bring them together through a common experience.
“For quite a sad play it really is an optimistic message. We want to inspire the idea that hope is very durable and should be very durable, and that there should be faith in humanity in general,” O’Brien-Lux said.