Thursday, October 24, 2013

Spotlight On...Michael Rau

Name: Michael Rau

Hometown: Chicago

Education: Wesleyan University, Columbia University MFA Directing Program

Favorite Credits: "Song of a Convalescent Ayn Rand Giving Thanks to the Godhead in the Lydian Mode" at Joe's Pub

Why theater?: Theater is the only art form that uses all the other arts (art, music, literature,) to create events in space and time.

Tell us about David’s RedHaired Death: David's RedHaired Death is an exploration of how a single event can change your life completely.

What inspired you to direct David’s RedHaired Death?: I read the script and I was excited by how open the script would be to a really visual poetic treatment. I'm interested in creating theater that isn't just a replication of reality, but allows a window into another person's experience of the world. We're using 180 degrees of projections and aerialists to find poetic ways to express the language of the text.

What kind of theater speaks to you? What or who inspires you as an artist?: I'm interested in creating experiences, and I'm fascinated by the tension between the utterly fake (theatrical) aspects of theater, and the completely true and (un-fake) aspect of theater. I've been inspired by Anne Bogart, Robert Woodruff, and Dimitris Papaioannou.

If you could work with anyone you’ve yet to work with, who would it be?:
Mozart.

What show have you recommended to your friends?:
Mr. Burns: A Post Electric Play

Who would play you in a movie about yourself and what would it be called?:
"On the Floor, next to the Trash"--starring The Black Keys

What’s your biggest guilty pleasure?: the HarmonTown Podcast.

If you weren’t working in theater, you would be _____?: There is no alternative.