Theatre of the People's lastest project is "Project K; the Josef K Files: Franz Kafka's The Trial with excerpts from Plato's The Apology." WFIU's George Walker talked with Theatre of the People cofounder and director David Nosko and Nick Maudlin, the actor who plays Josef K.
"We took on this project for a couple of reasons," said Nosko. On the one hand, Kafka has fascinated me for years. The text is a great read and Kafka's language has a uniquely attractive rhythm and style. I found myself wondering about how it would work and even seeing it in my mind on stage. So for me it was a project that involved and stimulated my creativity."
"On the other hand, the project seemed to fit the mission of the Theatre of the People. TOP aims to engage underserved individuals through inclusive process-based theatre projects to empower the participants. The piece offered our ‘top act players' and new members of our company a variety of roles to both accommodate and challenge."
"We added excerpts from Plato's The Apology for two reasons. For one the ancient and modern themes seemed to fit and to illuminate one another. And for a second reason, The Trial has actually kind of ‘David Lynchess.' There are changes and shifts that don't make sense. We used the Plato to kind of help the audience follow the drama."
Indiana University student Nick Maudlin who plays Josef K. is a new member of the ‘top act players.' He's a sophomore studying informatics. "Although I'm not in a drama program, in high school Iwas in a couple of musicals and one summer I did Shakespeare in the Park. I was looking around for an opportunity to get back into theatre here in Bloomington. I found Theatre of the People, almost by accident, through FaceBook."
"Josef K. is quite a character. I've never been in the position that he finds himself in, but I think I can draw on current society to understand his situation. For instance, with any of the recent stories about celebrities the first thing that happens is that people assume guilt. That's kind of part of what happens to Josef K. It's a demanding role and I've been very pleased that part of Theatre of the People's approach involves a lot of improvisation and input from the actors during the development process."
Project K: The Josef K Files
Franz Kafka's The Trial
with excerpts from Plato's The Apology
January 22,23, 28, 29 and 30, 2010 at 8 pm
January 23 and 30, 2010 at 2 pm
John Waldron Arts Center Rose Firebay