Jared Brown / skyline composition 003 : to Lorraine (Chicago)
skyline composition 003 : to Lorraine (2021) by artist Jared Brown
This is an experimental composition of extracted audio from environments in Chicago—as well as electronic music I produced, and a few lines of brief scene excerpts from A Raisin in the Sun. The reading excerpts deviate from traditional casting practices of this story. I am asking the women/femme identified people to read for the men in the story, Walter Lee, Joseph Asagai, and Karl Linder. The male/masculine identified people read for Ruth, Beneatha, and Mama. I want to disrupt the gender/racial dynamic of this story.
The goal is to bring additional nuance to the words of each character through unconventional vocal tones.
Reading this play again, I absolutely detest Walter and find myself angry with how selfish, weak, and insensitive he is—how it’s excusable because he’s the man of the household. So many people contend with these dynamics still.
I’m curious if the audience feels similarly to me. And I wonder if hearing a femme person read as Walter, will this bring more compassion?
Cast:
Asagai …… voiced by Megon Hill-Washington
Beneatha …… voiced by Tristan Land
Ruth …… voiced by Bernell Lassai
Mama …… voiced by Jared Brown
Walter …… voiced by Victoria Villier
Travis …… voiced by Robin Mane
Lindner …… voiced by Sal Mason
BIO: Jared Brown is an interdisciplinary artist born in Chicago. In recent work, Jared has been broadcasting audio and text based work through the radio (CENTRAL AIR RADIO, 88.5 FM), in live DJ sets, and on social media. They consider themselves a data thief, understanding this role from John Akomfrah’s description of the data thief as a figure that does not belong to the past or present. As a data thief, Jared Brown makes archeological digs for fragments of black American subculture, history and technology. Jared repurposes these fragments in audio, text, and video to investigate the relationship between history and digital, immaterial space.
Jared Brown holds a BFA in video from the Maryland Institute College of Art and moved back to Chicago in 2016 in order to make and share work that directly relates to their personal history.
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