I Speak, Therefore I Am: Creating a Theatrical Essay

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Dramaturgs Sara Bookin-Weiner and Laura Henry sat down with director John Tiffany and playwright Brendan Shea to discuss the creation of I Speak, Therefore I Am, a "theatrical essay" about the human voice developed with the A.R.T. Institute Class of 2011.

Whenever we open our mouths to speak, we announce who we are-- and it's not just what we say, it's how we say it.  Every cough, every "er," "ah," or "um" (what linguists call "paralanguage") carries a wide array of meaning.  It's only appropriate, then, that we present this interview totally unedited and flush with paralanguage.  What kind of signals can you pick up between the words?

I Speak, Therefore I Am plays March 25 - 28 at the Loeb Experimental Theater. 

Posted May 24, 2011
by Brendan Shea