Wherein we spotlight a show playing in the 2016 Improvised Play Festival, happening Thursday April 14 – Saturday April 16! Get your tickets here!
“Express Yourself” originally played at ColdTowne Theater in February and March, selling out consistently throughout the run and receiving much critical acclaim. Set in a high school classroom, “Express Yourself “tells the story of a diverse group of students navigating the perils of growing up, sexuality, peer pressure and the current sociopolitical climate in the United States.
We talked with “Express Yourself” co-director Ryan Darbonne (who co-directed with Frank Netscher) about the show.
1. What makes “Express Yourself” special?
A couple of things made the show special. First and foremost the image of seeing ten confident people of color on stage, fucking owning it week after week, was amazing. I don’t know if we’re going to get a chance to see that again anytime soon. Second, the show was unapologetic in the issues that we dealt with. We never wanted to walk on egg shells because for us that would belittle the topic. Our themes ranged from police brutality to reproductive rights. We gave our guest speakers carte blanche to be as serious as they wanted to be resulting in stories that were heart breaking. The beauty about live theater is that you can’t change the channel, or close a tab. As an audience member (unless you walk out) you’re forced to confront these issues head on…in real time.
2. What did you learn directing “Express Yourself” that surprised you?
The biggest thing I learned co-directing “Express Yourself’ was to trust the process. I have a background in film so I’m used to wielding, for better AND for worse, a lot of creative control. However, with improv I had to let go of my pride/ego and TRUST that everything would take care of itself once a tone was set. Improv, just like theatre, is an actors medium and at the end of the day there was only so much my co-director Frank and I could do. Luckily for us, our cast was fucking killer.
3. Why do you think audiences respond so enthusiastically to “Express Yourself”?
It’s no big secret that Austin isn’t the most diverse city in the world. I think audiences responded well to the show because they were hungry for perspectives that differed from their own.
“Express Yourself” plays in the Improvised Play Festival this Thursday at 8pm. Get your tickets here!
