The act of theater, at its most distilled, is threefold. It requires very little, just an actor an audience and a story. That’s it. It’s not tricks or artifice that tie these three elements together, but the collective act of imagination.
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While full-scale productions can often require vast resources, Hand to Mouth focuses on the essential heart of the theater: the artists, the witnesses and the words.
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Our readings celebrate new and published plays in their simplest forms. In doing so we plan to show that the act of theater alone is really quite unique in its ability to provoke thought and foster community.
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Classic or contemporary, these events remind us that the theater thrives not in spectacle, but in the simple act of telling. We want to share the kind of stories that help us better understand who we are, and what that really means today.
The nature of these events allows us to keep the tickets affordable and bring in the types of plays that might not normally see a run in New Orleans. Being nomadic is an advantage we embrace. Acquiring licensing for staged readings is a much smaller upfront investment and keeps our costs low. This allows us to pay our actors and attract a larger pool of professional artists.
Sustainability
A major point at the intersection of theater and commerce is that the theater is a commodity. It is a finite experience and if you miss it, it’s gone. It’s an undeniable truth of the product so we embrace it.
Access
This ‘Pop-Up’ approach to events creates shorter runs and rehearsals and lets us move quickly. This works with the schedules of actors that may not be able to commit to the length of a full run. A strength is our absolute flexibility of time and space, or lack thereof.
A lack of set is not a disadvantage, but an opportunity to curate the space as a whole. From location to location we have a chance to make the entire space a functioning part of the experience. It can be filled to the brim with an eclectic collection of visual art that comments on the themes of the play, or original video and audio representations of the plays’ environments. It’s up to the Director and Designer how much or how little they want to leave their imprint on the space.
Immersion
Engagement
Talkbacks are an essential part of our structure and an event all in itself. Our audience is a fully functioning part of our system. Our actors, directors and designers engage with our patrons directly. These talkbacks are an invitation to everyone and anyone to speak up and share their thoughts. These stories are meant to be discussed and understood from the inside out. We believe that opening up a forum where all are welcome fosters a healthy sense of community and equity, so stick around after and have an adult beverage or two. Let us know what you think.
