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Tru to Life

Written by Marissa Hall

Tuesday, 03 June 2008 10:27 PM

The Shorthorn: Michael Rettig

Last fall, Natalie Gaupp picked up a collection of Truman Capote’s short stories and never put them down.

“I literally devoured them,” she said. “I went on my own personal Capote fest.”

Though the visiting assistant theater arts professor read Capote in college, when she read and reread the renowned author’s works recently, she knew she wanted to create something to share her love of Capote with an audience.

What she created was a show called Tru Enough that blends dramatic readings of Capote’s works with his life story.

“I almost feel like it was a Lucy Ricardo idea,” Gaupp said. “I woke up one morning and thought ‘Someone would enjoy seeing readings of Capote’s work.’”

Gaupp’s show includes readings of two of Capote’s most famous works, In Cold Blood and Breakfast at Tiffany’s, as well as other pieces. The program will be presented at 7 p.m. Thursday in Fine Arts Building Stage 143 and at 2:30 p.m. Saturday at The Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth.

Capote, who was born in New Orleans in 1924, was famous for his short story collections, novels and plays. He also invented a new genre, the non-fiction novel, when he wrote In Cold Blood.

Though Capote died in 1984, two recent films have stirred up interest around the author. The 2005 film Capote, for which Philip Seymour Hoffman won an Oscar for his portrayal of Capote, and the 2006 film Infamous both chronicle Capote’s journey writing In Cold Blood.
Gaupp’s friend, Steven McGaw, jumped at the chance to read a selection from In Cold Blood when Gaupp asked him to be involved in the program. McGaw had little trouble picking an excerpt from the novel, which is his favorite Capote work.

“I wanted something that hits hard and has impact,” McGaw said.

Performing excerpts from writings is nothing new for McGaw, who is the artistic director of SceneShop, a Fort Worth organization that entertains its audience with selected scenes and monologues, along with short plays. McGaw used his connections and resources he has through the organization to help publicize Tru Enough.

Gaupp has also been involved with SceneShop since it began in 1996. She wrote the first piece the organization ever presented.
“For SceneShop it’s a good fit because we don’t do whole plays,” McGaw said. “Doing literature was a refreshing alternative.”

Gaupp didn’t have trouble choosing excerpts for the show, either. She chose selections that she was passionate about and that also portrayed biographical elements.

“I thought choosing excerpts was going to be a lot more difficult than it was,” she said. “It was like trying to find the heartbeat. Once I found the heartbeat, I figured out where would be a good place to start the excerpt.”

While the readings won’t be done with the aid of costumes or an elaborate set, McGaw and Gaupp promise it will be more entertaining than just basic readings. All of the readers are also actors.

“It will be more than just dry readings,” Gaupp said. “But the words will speak for themselves.”

Theater arts sophomore Jackie Pickard decided to participate in the production because he had never performed a Truman Capote piece before. Gaupp said Pickard is one of the most talented students she knows.

“Anytime I get the chance to gain more experience, I take it,” Pickard said.

While the show is not a play, it’s also not a lecture, McGaw said. It aims to inform the audience, but entertain them as well.

“There’s a scholarly aspect to this, but it’s certainly preferable to a lecture,” McGaw said. “To see the works presented in this way and to have actors present them so there’s probably a greater attention to smoothness and richness of presentation only enhances the receiving of the words.”

Gaupp said it felt natural to put on a show that takes literature and puts it on stage. As a theater arts professor, she said she’s used to approaching theatrical pieces in an academic way.

“Literature has an almost innate theatrical nature,” she said. “This is why you get so lost in a book. Your mind’s eye becomes the stage.”
McGaw, who has been a fan of Capote’s since he was little, hopes the show will captivate the audience as much as Capote’s work has enthralled him.

“Mr. Capote doesn’t need us to do this,” McGaw said. “It’s for the audience to sit and hear and enjoy an entertaining performance.”

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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 20 January 2009 05:42 PM )

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