"Show Some Skin", a show comprised of monologue performances that discuss issues such as race, gender and sexuality, will begin auditions today for the Feb. 2014 performances, show director Clarissa Schwab, said.
The audition process is simple, and everyone is invited to participate, Schwab said.
"All we look for in actors is open-mindedness," she said. "If you are closed-minded at all especially with these kinds of stories, it's just not going to work out. You have to be open-minded to accept their story, let that reflect, and let that simmer and marinate then present it for everyone to see."
Show Some Skin, now in its third year, was founded in Spring 2012 by Edith Cho, JeeSeunChoi and HienLuu to spark a conversation about race relations at Notre Dame, according to the show's website, ndshowsomeskin.com.
Schwab said this year's show will be "the biggest yet." In previous years, the performances were held in the Carey Auditorium, but this year the show will be held on the main state of the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center, she said.
"The show started out pretty small, then it got a little bigger," Schwab said. "Now we just want to really have a presence on this campus. To be on the main stage, it takes the show to a new level."
While the show is still more than two months away, Schwab said the "Show Some Skin" team started gearing up for the show this summer.
"We have been working hard since the summer," Schwab said. "We have all the stories we want to say. If there are no actors to say them, there is not going to be a show."
Schwab said the 2014 show is subtitled "Be Bold," and said the name derives from the 2013 performance.
"In last year's show, there was a monologue presented by a girl who invited the audience to share their story and be bold," Schwab said. "She shared all these things about herself and said 'Now it's your turn, so you go ahead, you share what you want the world to know or what you're afraid to say.'"
According to Schwab, the performance by actors is based on anonymous stories submitted by students, faculty and even South Bend residents.
"Although we want people to be bold and stand up, a lot of times it's hard for people to actually tell their story," she said. "We didn't want anyone to back out from having to tell the story just because they have to give a name."
Schwab said what makes Show Some Skin exciting is the wide range of topics on which it sheds light.
"It's a roller coaster. Everything you can expect, it's there," she said. "'Show Some Skin' has it all."
According to the Facebook page, the show's acting auditions will be held on Friday and Saturday from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. and on Sunday from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in Carey Auditorium in Hesburgh Library.
Contact Paul Kim at pkim6@nd.edu
