When British actor, director, and playwright Tim Crouch arrived at Duke, he wasn’t just an exciting visitor—he was at the top of a wish list from theater studies faculty. As part of Duke Arts’ ongoing initiative to integrate arts department curriculums into Duke Arts Presents programming, Crouch was invited to bring his groundbreaking play, An Oak Tree, to campus for two rare revival performances and five days of residency events. Crouch’s visit provided opportunities for Duke faculty, students, alumni, and community members alike to experience his groundbreaking approach to theater.

“An Oak Tree” is a two-hander, but the novelty is that while Crouch plays one of the roles, a different actor plays the other role every performance, never having seen the script ahead of time. This device opens a window into the mechanics of the performance as the audience witnesses theater being made in real time.

According to Crouch, theater is “a place where stories are told, not just the stories of the narrative but the stories of how the stories are told. It’s a space to explore how as well as what. It’s about recognizing the potential of what is in the room: the audience as well as the stage.”

Duke Arts Director of Engagement, Jules Odendahl-James, a long-time theater studies adjunct faculty member, connected Crouch with two Duke theater alums to serve as acting partners in the public performances and a current student to join in the dress rehearsal at the von der Heyden Studio Theater in the Rubenstein Arts Center (the Ruby). They all entered the theater ready for whatever the evening would bring.

To give instructions and dialogue to his acting partners, Crouch sometimes whispered words into a mic connected to a sound system wired into ear buds the actors were wearing. At other times he handed them an actual script on a clipboard or simply gave them instructions the audience could hear.

“It was one of the top three performance experiences in my life of 20-30 years of being an artist,” says Adam Sampieri (T’03). “Or maybe even the top one overall. As an actor, I think the whole idea is to be in the moment, and I can’t imagine any more opportunity to be in the moment than trying to do a show that you know absolutely zero about until the lights go up.”

“It was one of the top three performance experiences in my life of 20-30 years of being an artist.”

Adam Sampieri (T’03)

“Tim is an incredibly talented theater artist, and he had the ability to make me feel at home even when I wasn’t sure I belonged there. It was both difficult and easy; it was intense and yet kind of relaxing at the same time.”

Sampieri, with experience spanning acting, directing, design, composition, and playwriting, created the theater program at the NC School of Science and Math in Durham and will be directing his fiftieth show there this fall. Eleven of his students attended the performance and in the next theater class, he had to stay an extra hour because of their eagerness to discuss what they had seen. He loved the opportunity to dissect the evening as part of sharing his passion for storytelling with the next generation of artists.

Sam Kebede (T’14) had a similarly moving experience acting opposite Crouch. “Oh man, Tim is one of the most generous acting partners I’ve ever had in my life, especially considering he had all the power, and it would have been really easy for him to make art that would be at the expense of whoever was on stage with him. But it was completely the opposite,” says Kebede, a New York actor, playwright, and comedian who has performed at major theaters across the country and has presented his comedy around the world.

Kebede says that when he’s on stage doing improv or comedy, his brain never stops, it never gets to relax. “This felt like that,” he says, “although about 10 minutes in I wondered for a moment if I was doing a good job and then I thought, it doesn’t matter. I trust him. I trust that Tim’s going to make this show great, so I let go of that and really stayed in the zone from then on.

“I just loved that no matter what I offered him, he was like yes, that’s a great choice. You don’t find performers like Tim on this planet. I think it’s really rare and beautiful.”

While on campus, Kebede met with students from DUST (Duke University Stand-Up Troupe) and shared what’s he’s learned about stand-up in his 10 years since graduating. When he heard Crouch’ schedule for visiting classes, he was impressed. “Duke students were lucky to have an artist of Tim’s caliber at Duke.”

During the week, Crouch shared his exceptional ability to engage students with Jody McAuliffe’s Acting and Introduction to Improvisation classes, Johann Montozzi-Wood’s Acting class, Jeff Storer’s Acting class, and Odendahl-James’s Introduction to Performance Studies class. He also attended the theater studies department’s regular Drama Free Donuts student gathering.

Jeff Storer, a faculty member who advocated for Crouch’s visit, is fascinated with the way the artist re-examines the relationship between audience and actor. “Not only is the fourth wall broken,” says Storer, “but we are seeing a tight rope act for the second actor. We are seeing that person discover the narrative and the relationships in real time. It gets us out of our screen addiction and forces us to focus and listen very closely.

“Theater at its best is always revealing itself as if happening for the first time. In “An Oak Tree” the most important aspects of the performance ARE happening in the NOW,” he says.

It turns out Crouch was as delighted by Duke as Duke was by him.

“Duke was a dream,” says Crouch. “I visited six classes during the week, and each became a vibrant engagement with ideas and practice. The students were informed and questioning and confident. I was met with nothing but kindness and donuts! 

“It feels wild to travel nearly 4,000 miles to find your audience. I sometimes fear that theater is facing an existential threat, but then Duke Arts gave me two full houses and an enthusiastic response. Theater is alive!”

“It feels wild to travel nearly 4,000 miles to find your audience. I sometimes fear that theater is facing an existential threat, but then Duke Arts gave me two full houses and an enthusiastic response. Theater is alive!”

Tim Crouch

“Duke Arts also gave me two brilliant alumni actors,” he adds. “Adam Sampieri and Sam Kebede were both absolutely distinct and skillful and generous in their artistry. They responded brilliantly to the request of “An Oak Tree” to step into the unknown and be open to what happens. I couldn’t have asked for two better actors—again, a testament to Duke’s continuing influence in the arts. Thanks, Duke.”

And thanks Tim Crouch for a rich week of theater at Duke.