‘See Me’ @ OutLoud Dallas (Eisemann)

Photos by MR Huggins

—Teresa Marrero

See Me, an OutLoud Dallas production recently seen at the Eisemann Center in Richardson, is a devised work (meaning created through a series of shared actions/stories) by a creative team (including the actors) and directed by Ruben Carrazana—who begins with the notion of stories: whose stories, who gets to tell them, and what makes them important.

See Me boasts not only original stories gathered or generated by the creatives, but also a sophisticated ensemble of original music and choreography, plus scenic and stage design through the use of technology for projections and holograms. Most importantly, it includes the actors who take a full part in the creation. This is not a top down affair, but rather a collaborative effort later given a cohesive body by the director (and still with the input of the actors). This offers an unusual opportunity for young actors to create, rather than simply enact the work of others.

The OutLoud Voices program, co-founded by Allison Caldwell and Jeffery Moffitt, emphasizes that it values the perspectives of young people who dream not only of what is, but what could be.  The organization won the 2024 Eisemann Edge Initiative grant at Communities Foundation of Texas, which “uplifts nonprofits and projects that explore the intersection of technology with the performing and visual arts.” (From the program.)

So, what does this look like?

The six young, multi-racial actors—Bella Brown, Allison Marshal, Breanna Cox, Jackson Holmes, Will Schmidt, and Matt John West—open the show moving about on the open concept stage (no curtains, no divisions between the performance space and where the audience seating begins) carrying various types of hand-held lights.  They begin by speaking about the notion of stories (whose, why), and tell us that all the stories we will see are true.

With this build up, one might expect serious and dramatic stories. But no, that comes later in the show. For now, each actor begins by telling small stories with unusual (not to say weird) titles such as “One Sick Chick”—not, it turns out, about a pathological female, but the tale of an agriculture student faced with a defective chicken egg. The veins are red and look “off.” While we learn that the teacher had recommended to do the thing-that-is done with defective specimens (get rid of them), the student decides to keep it and nurse it to a full-grown rooster. It’s an ethical choice that resonates with the audience.

Other stories are called “Killer ChuckECheese” (I didn’t quite get this one), and “Piney Potty” (full of cartoons a la Sponge Bob and others, to the gleeful cheers of the younger audience members) about a girl who gets stuck in a potty. 

“Art and Turpentine” is visually accompanied by several screens with colored paint that moves like a lava lamp. This poignant story speaks of a young woman’s experience with her oil painting teaching, who, after lauding her first effort at painting a night-time landscape, tells her to get the turpentine and wipe the canvas clean.

How painful must that have been—and why do it?

It turns out there is a method to the art teacher’s madness: she tells the young woman to paint it again, that it will be better the second time. The valuable lesson that reverberates through this and the entire piece is this: “Do not become attached to the object of your creation, because the Art is within you—Forever.” Art isn’t really about creating or acquiring objects. It is in the creative process itself, latent within each of us (young and old) if we nurture it. What a fantastic lesson to assimilate at any moment in life!

Carrazana presents the audience with a real-time projection of a Google document that is the devised script. A male Voice (we assume the director’s) reads the words and gives stage directions to the actors—and exposes the audience to a brilliant bit of meta-theatre, showing them the underpinnings of the theatrical experience they’re having.

The male Voice repeats earlier questions: Who gets to tell Stories and why are they important? The responses stream from each actor in no particular sequence: “to connect, to entertain, to share experiences, to keep memory alive.” Then comes: “Artists must have a social message, stories deal with real life, it is impossible to create without meaning, not everything has to have meaning… We have a responsibility because we have a platform. Ruben said all stories matter, even small stories…”

One of the most fun parts of the show was an audience participation segment with Katy Perry’s song “Firework” (which most of the younger members of the audience seemed to know by heart). The cast divides the audience into three groups. One group sings a Do, do, do part going from high to lower notes. The middle section gets to sing the lyrics, and the last section (mine), becomes the percussion. I must say, once the whole thing was orchestrated, young and older persons in the audience really got into this—we were all kids again!

Skipping to another beautiful segment, the Voice and the actors decide to explore Water. Why water? “We all have a connection to water: our bodies are mostly composed of water, water has no beginning and no end…etc”. With several overhead screens projecting changing waterscapes –from a glass of water filling up, to the ocean, to a river, to rain on a window sill, to the faces of each actor submerged in water… the segment on water felt poetic and important. The chorography had the actors moving to the undulations of water.

Next came the story of two boys, one black and one White, dancing both upstage on a platform with a projection of the dance in the background. The spoken word poetry felt quite intimate. And, while the G word (gay) was not pronounced, it felt like what a young man could feel like in the process of identifying his (or her) gender identity. This was beautifully done. Suggestive but not in your face.

All in all, See Me was sophisticated and heartfelt. The actors’ ability to communicate with this young audience, their commitment to the characters they played and to each other, made this piece a real success. I enjoyed watching the audience members get into this piece almost as much as watching the piece itself. 

The technical aspects were sharp and well-integrated into the story telling.  The piece ended with a hologram projection of each of the actors, while the real person was seated on the floor watching, coming back around to the notion of Stories.

Needless to say, they were well-rewarded by an immediate and resounding standing ovation. Congratulations to all involved in this project, and particularly to director Ruben Carrazana, an SMU graduate now working in Dallas and Chicago. (For more info on the organization, go to: weareoutloud.org )

Other creatives included: Composer Danny Anchondo, choreographer Avery-Jai Andrews, scenic designer Jefferey Moffit, lighting designer Aaron Johansen. Costumes were by Jasmine Woods, sound by Claudia Jenkins-Martinez, projections by Weyni Kahsay, and graphic design by Allison Caldwell.

The show ran 9/27 to 10/5, 2024.

Teresa Marrero is Professor in the Spanish Department at the University of North Texas. She writes dance and theatre performance reviews for Onstagentx, among recent publications include https://argus-a.org/archivos-dinamicas/1803-1.pdf in Spanish. She has a forthcoming piece in American Theatre Magazine. Teresa.Marrero@unt.edu