The first in a three-part series about the production of 'Bare'Halfway through their three-hour-long read-through, the cast and crew for Brandeis University's upcoming pop opera Bare erupts in laughter.

"There's a black woman inside the soul of every gay man!" declares Romy James '13, who plays Sister Chantall.

Sitting in the Alumni Lounge of Upper Usdan on a lazy Sunday afternoon, the cast exudes a low-key vibe, coupled with what can only be described as bottled-up excitement for the upcoming months.

Although this Sept. 13 read-through marks Bare's first official rehearsal, the cast members seem completely at ease with one another, and their time spent reading and singing the lines of the new-age play is comprised of moments of poignant emotion and drama, albeit still allowing for blips of gut-wrenching hysterics.

Bare, originally titled Bare: a Pop Opera, merges a mainstream sound and comical elements with a serious undercurrent that delves into issues such as homosexuality and teenage pregnancy. Debuting in Los Angeles in October 2000, the off-Broadway musical follows the lives and struggles of high school students at a Catholic boarding school, in particular the complexity of the secret relationship between two gay students, Peter and Jason, played by Austin Auh '10 and Rob St. Laurence '11. Auh and his production staff plan to donate all proceeds from the show to the Waltham House, a center for GLBTQ youth.

During the rehearsal, Auh, who is also co-director for Bare, observes his cast's interactions and takes notes in his script in between his own numerous lines. The production of this 13-actor play makes up his senior thesis. He is currently co-directing the show with his voice teacher at Brandeis, Pamela Wolfe.

For Auh, about 5 feet 5 inches tall with two cartilage piercings and an energy that makes it seem like he's bouncing, directing Bare represents the opportunity to take a more psychological approach to theater. He pushes his cast to develop their characters beyond what unfolds on stage.

"I [want to] go deeper," he says of the rehearsal process, during which he'll meet individually with every member of the cast to help them develop their characters.

Last Monday he met with Benny Gronich '12, who plays Matt in the show.

"We spent a half an hour going through the show, and we only got halfway!" Auh says as he breaks into a wide-mouthed grin that returns every few minutes or so while he discusses his plans for the production.

Although Bare documents the emotional misadventures of a bunch of hormone-driven high school seniors at a Catholic boarding school, Auh wants his show to be anything but a superficial parade of feelings.

"The thing is," he says, "that when you're a teenager these emotions are the most important thing. I want them to come across without it being two-dimensional."

It's clear that Auh has not only spent time coming up with his theories on what theater should and shouldn't be but also taken the time to explain them to people before. He's relaxed but passionate, gesturing repeatedly with his hands when talking about transcending conventional styles of performance.

This is the first show Auh has directed since high school, but during the past four years, he's been involved in almost every facet of the campus' theater community. When he arrived at Brandeis, "I auditioned for everything." His first semester, he was in two shows ("a mistake," he concedes) and took part in a performance every semester through the first half of his junior year.

"Being in a show and directing it is really interesting," he says. "I'm thinking about my character in the context of the whole show-that's not something I usually do."

Other cast members of Bare also feel as though performing in Bare will be a growing experience. St. Laurence, who is tall and lean and could easily pass for a college graduate, feels as though "the part of Jason [will] stretch me and put me out of my comfort zone as an actor. I am excited to break old acting habits and stretch my vocal range from classic to pop," he said.

St. Laurence arrived at Brandeis his freshman year as a swimmer with some acting experience. He did not consider any auditions until that spring, when he landed a leading role in a show.

Bare's cast members share an easy cameraderie. St. Laurence is able to create a realistic-looking relationship with Abby Armstrong '13 who plays Ivy, the teenage girl who falls hopelessly in love with his character.

Smiling in near-disbelief at this opportunity, Armstrong is intrigued by and excited for her role. Throughout high school, Armstrong took part in many theater activities, even landing a spot in the prestigious Walnut Hill School in Natick, Mass. for a five-week summer program. Even so, it is clear that this modest first-year did not expect a leading role at Brandeis during her first semester.

Armstrong's face comes alive as she describes watching a high school friend in a production of Bare a year ago. When she had learned that Brandeis would be performing the musical, she was immediately interested in playing Ivy.

"I can't even imagine going through many of Ivy's struggles. I look forward to the challenge of playing her, especially singing her song 'All Grown Up,' because it is so moving," Armstrong says of her expectations for the role.

While Bare isn't as widely recognized as A Chorus Line or some of the other shows that held auditions during the same week, the show's casting process was highly selective. Though neither Auh nor Lauren Elias '10, who plays Peter's mother, Claire, and is assistant directing, can say for sure how many students auditioned for the show, 35 were called back to try out for specific roles.

"There were a few people who just really jumped out," Auh says of the auditions.

Bare's casting process was especially unique in that it was, as Auh proclaims, completely "color-blind." According to Auh, the script clearly marks each character's ethnicity, but "I threw out pretty much all the racial designations."

Part of Auh's purpose in casting without respect to ethnicity was to "enforce diversity" and push against the paucity of minority actors in professional theater.

Auh is majoring in Music and Psychology and says he wants to "try to be an actor" after graduation. When asked if his interest in psychology has anything to do with his feelings on character development, he answers quickly: "I do partly have a huge interest in psychology not just because I like knowing how people work. It does help a bit with trying to get into the heads of characters."

In planning the performance, Auh wants to concentrate on helping the actors connect with the audience. Auh talks about private moments during the show, such as characters speaking to God, that actors can share with the audience.

Says Auh, "There's a lot of opportunity to really break that fourth wall.