How to be a Human is a devised theater piece directed by Ali Miller and Melanie St. Ours.
Running Time: 75 minutes with no intermission
Actors: Elliott Kashner, Angela McLaughlin, Lynette Rathnam, Narlyia Sterling and Adam Williams.
Sound design: Greg Svitil.
“The program’s description of being, “based on interviews with fascinating local seniors” is accurate, of course, but does not do the piece justice. The writers and directors ratchet up the stakes by providing more than simple narration. The set-up is such that the six characters are unwittingly put in a position where they must role play scenes that are based on real interviews. It’s up to the characters to explore what to do with the information, who plays what role and how to make it come alive in an improv format, and this is where magic happens. As the actors dig into the roles, they often have to shift their points of view, start over and dig deeper, ultimately exposing their own “stuff” that they’re dealing with. The description sounds abstract, but when the scene is on its feet with the actors immersing themselves in “discovery in the moment,” this is “experiential theater” at its finest, totally different from the usual fare.”
-DC Theatre Scene
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