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| A scene from "Garage" / Courtesy of Robert Evans |
By Hallie Bradley
The newest theater company in town, Speech of Fire, has launched this autumn under the leadership of co-artistic directors Lauren Ash-Morgan and Michael Downey. The duo's new company is an effort to create great performances while also connecting to the community in order to foster true human connections in this increasingly digital and isolating age.
"We chose the name Speech of Fire because it encapsulates what we are about," Downey said. "We intend the text of a play to be at the center of everything we do. And of course on stage text becomes speech...we are both text and speech/voice nerds… I guess we have had a focus on that in the last few years in Seoul Shakespeare Company. We've been teaching text and voice both to our casts as part of our rehearsal process, and also to the wider public as workshops and classes.
The name comes from a quote by Laertes in "Hamlet," which shouldn't come as a surprise as both had been part of Seoul Shakespeare Company, which specializes in teaching and performing Shakespeare. Ash-Morgan had served as artistic director and producer, and Downey was a stage director and actor. Both had been with that company since its 2011 founding, and leading it for the last five years.
"We intend Speech of Fire to focus primarily on Shakespeare, but also new works and other classic plays and playwrights ― we'll see how it develops," Downey said.
Pushing ideas and artistic creation, their first performance is in collaboration with Seoul Shakespeare Company and showcases two critically acclaimed original plays performed in their repertory. Co-produced by the two companies and performed by their original playwrights, "The Orderly" and "Garage" can both be seen at Studio SK in the Daehangno district of Seoul on Oct. 19 and 20.
"They are both intelligent, vibrant and absorbing works of contemporary theater," Downey said. "And what's more, they both feature performances by the original playwrights!"
"The Orderly," which is written and will be performed by Downey, is about a man named Peter who is an orderly during the week and a Vikings re-enactor on the weekends. Watch as Michael plays multiple characters on stage, including a gorgeous nurse, semi-nude Viking and of course the orderly in this heartfelt solo performance which is both comedic and moving. The hour-long play was first produced in New Zealand in 2006 and Michael is excited to bring it back to the stage.
"Garage" is a bit grittier and watches as English teacher David and his wife Susan return home to Arkansas for the funeral of David's estranged, alcoholic father. This three-person hour-long show which was first performed in New York City in 2010 is a fast-paced emotional crescendo to a dramatic finale. Don't miss writer and actor Jason Cutler along with Ash-Morgan and Jamie Horan on stage this weekend.
Ash-Morgan and Downey began to transition out of Seoul Shakespeare Company recently to develop a company that can ultimately "transcend the geographical area of Seoul to travel." Though the goal is to have a company that can move, Downey said, "We think that we will stay in Korea until roughly early 2021, so these two shows that we are doing as a co-production with Seoul Shakespeare are a nice way to transition into the new identity."
Speech of Fire also offers acting classes for actors of all experience levels, with the first autumn session starting on Oct. 23. The courses are taught in English and are open to adults and teens at least 16 years of age. The company will also stage small more intimate performances that can tour to various locations.
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