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Sitting on a beach reading a 800 + page long biography, Lin Manuel Miranda thought “This is my next show.” That little idea exploded into the international mega hit musical, Hamilton. The concept, to others, wasn’t clear how it would work- a hip hop musical about a lesser known founding father initially was a hard sell. However Manuel kept writing, composing, cutting and rewriting. The process of creating new works has creatives endlessly invest in their piece and then it’s time for a test drive, to see the successes, failures and what can be improved. Pieces are tested in friends’ living rooms, basements, comedy clubs and theatrical workshops, which is what the Toledo Rep is currently working on.
Toledo Voices heard
Toledo Voices is a celebration of original theatrical works by local Toledo artists. This annual event produced by the Toledo Rep brings art in its rawest form in front of an audience to provide a truly original experience. This is the chance Toledo audiences will have when they attend Toledo Voices.
The event, a series of seven ten minute plays that are original unpublished works by local writers within an hour drive of Toledo, is a rehearsal process, built to reveal the intention and power of the writing, meaning the author of the play cannot direct or act in the piece,
but they are encouraged to rewrite their scripts. The directors for the plays were hand selected by The Toledo Rep and the actors, who turned out in record numbers, were drafted for each production by the directing staff. Rehearsals are underway, a process collaboration between the actors, the writer and the director.
Each play will be performed twice to enhance exposure and so that audiences can digest the pieces.
Joe Capucini serves on the Toledo Rep committee which chose teh works to be performed and is helping to produce the event. He spoke about the works selected for this year, “There is just as much talent in Toledo, Ohio as there is in New York. The plays are really good this year and the chance to see the starting point of a great piece of work is so rare.”
For writers this is a deeply personal experience. Their work is brought to life through this workshop and will be a starting point for revision. Capucini said one of the playwrights was joyously overwhelmed at hearing their words performed and is excited for audiences to see their work. Attendance at the event has steadily grown each year, which is important because the audience not only experiences these new works, but they also have the chance to provide feedback on the plays. Don’t miss out on the chance to see the next Hamilton, before it’s Hamilton.
Toledo Voices runs March 19-21 at the Toledo Repertoire Theatre. For more information please call the Toledo Rep: 419-243-9277 or visit toledorep.org.
