Cast Member Blog - 1001 - Noah Bird

As the curtain closed on On Broadway this past Sunday--which, just so you know Blogfriends, was successfully sold out for three out of four performances!!!--Arts Collective took a second to celebrate and relax... and then jumped right back into work on the rest of our season!

Coming up next month, November 11-21, is our big fall production of 1001 by Jason Grote. 1001 is a dark, post-modern retelling of The Arabian Nights, among many other things. You can buy your tickets NOW by clicking here. Today's cast member blog is from cast member Noah Bird. Read on to find out more about how he relates to his characters, as well as the importance of doing this show "in the round."

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My name is Noah Bird and I'm playing Shahriyar, a Persian king, and Alan, a young Jewish man. Personally, I'm 1/4 Lebanese and was raised half my life by my stepfather--a Jewish man from New Jersey--so I can't help but feel a connection with both my characters, distant though they may be. Furthermore, the Arab name that was my grandmother's maiden name means, "The Loved One" (I know how to pronounce the name I just don't know how to spell it). I find this interesting because, in my opinion, Shahriyar's biggest hang-up is that he just wants to be loved deep down, which is where a lot of his drive comes from to do the things he does.

On another note, this is the first time I have ever done theatre in the round. [Editor's note: theatre in the round is when there is audience seating almost entirely around the stage area.] I've found it very interesting, the things that need to be taken into consideration prop-wise, blocking-wise and set design-wise. I really feel that doing it in the round is an excellent choice, and only makes more and more sense the more we delve into the ever-spiraling themes and stories that occur throughout the play. Another thing about doing it in the round, and this is just occurring to me as I write this, is that it will make the actors feel more like we are "trapped in a grand narrative" as Dahna--my character's love interest-- describes, walled in by the audience on all sides. It is revelations like that that make me love this play because it is always forcing our minds to run in circles searching for more answers.