Above: Students participate in a dress rehearsal of “Piece By Bloody Piece.”
Written by Zascha Fox
Photos by Daniel Sarché
While the senior thesis show “Piece by Bloody Piece” has been advertised across campus bulletin boards for the past week, many students may still be confused about what it really entails. Billed as an “audiodrama,” the performance shuts off sight and utilizes some of the lesser appreciated senses, such as hearing, smell, and touch. It’s also the last of Alec Sarché’s work to be premiered at Colorado College, serving as a conclusion to his body of work that has been building up since his first year.
Inspired by the Buntport Theater Company, a Denver-based troupe of CC alumni, Sarché came to CC knowing that he wanted to major in theater. “I grew up watching them, and knew that this was what I wanted to do and where I wanted to be,” said Sarché. Although he didn’t declare the major until the end of his first year, he was already involved in TWIT and Theater Workshop (of which he has since become the co-artistic director).
“I’ve been in pretty much every show since I’ve been here,” said Sarché.
“Piece by Bloody Piece” is not Sarché’s first experience with audiodrama. His first creation, “Shore and Woods,” was created as a final project for the Fundamentals of Theater Design block. He was provoked by the question: “What if I gave most of my performance initiative to my audience?”
By flipping the roles of the actor and the observer, audiodrama is able to create a completely new and revolutionary theater experience. “It’s mostly based on the assumption that an audience who’s given a lot of responsibility is much more likely to feel invested in the performance,” explained Sarché. This new technique has come about in part as a result of theater movements such as expressionism and dadaism. Essentially, “the playwright is giving less,” and is in return asking for more participation from the audience.
The thesis was originally proposed in April of 2016, under the name “Trigger.”
“That was my original thesis, but it was a completely different concept than what I’ve created here,” said Sarché of the development process. Over the summer, Italo Calvino’s novel “Invisible Cities” “really flipped a switch” for him, and the “project’s been in its current form since July.”
Due to the hurried nature of the Block Plan, Sarché has had to create audiodramas from scratch in less than two weeks, but this is a different kind of production. “It’s a longer form project,” which has allowed him to really flesh out and develop exactly what he wants in a thesis. He has been honing the form since “Shore and Woods,” finding what has worked well and what hasn’t.
The nature of the performance is that the audience knows little to nothing about it before going into the theater. Prior knowledge may skew the audience’s reaction and experience within the space, defeating the purpose of the performance as a whole. The origin of the title, however, is not a secret. “It’s a line from the piece,” said Sarché.
“There’s a common theme of separating from a whole and becoming a part. It really asks the question, what does it mean to be rejected—to be a piece instead of a whole?” Sarché has made it clear, however, that he doesn’t intend to “romanticize loneliness”, he just really wants to “speak to those who have felt lonely their whole lives.”
It also speaks specifically to our age group as a whole. “This generation has been raised to think that it was so important to be part of a group, and I also really wanted to provide a commentary on that,” said Sarché.
“It’s also very reliant on technology, which says something about the age that we’re living in.” Without giving too much away about the experience, the production centers around headphones and an iPod track.
Being an “actor” in the piece is experience in and of itself. Sophomore Theo Merrill described the “incredible amount of responsibility” he feels for “making sure that the audience is on the right track and that they stay safe.”
“The extra dimension of having sight taken away is disorienting, and really requires you to hone your other senses,” added senior Marin Day. Sarché also commented on the CC community, and how well his work had been received here. “It’s unique to CC that audiences are willing to trust this much,” said Sarché. “They just have to put on headphones and walk through the blackness.” There are also “dedicated community members from the town who come to every show.”
After graduation, he plans on moving to New York City to pursue a career as a professional actor. While he has intentions of taking “Piece by Bloody Piece” with him and exhibiting it there, he’s unsure how such a different community will receive it.
For both theater lovers and those unfamiliar with the art, “Piece by Bloody Piece” is an immersive experience that should not be passed up. Groups of up to six audience members are permitted in to the show in 15-minute intervals from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Oct. 7, and 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Oct. 8 and 9.