From the only acting school in New York to teach a course in "Jazz Acting" comes Appearance: A Suspense in Being, a meta-theatrical meditation on postmodern existence. The question posed by the piece, according to the synopsis:

What is it, about the art of acting, that touches us so deeply? It is, after all, an inherent deceit, in which the actor convinces us that they are someone else. What is the discourse between who we are and what we do? Why is that distance so compelling and moving within the self?

It's fascinating to me that TheaterLab is investigating this question, particularly from such an avant-garde standpoint. It's my general impression that the public's fascination with "the art of acting" (if you agree that such a fascination exists) is generally derived from an interest in much more mainstream, naturalistic acting styles, as opposed to the work of Meyerhold, Artaud, and Grotowski, all of whom are cited as influences on Appearance at the company's website. Each of those artists was specifically concerned with performance styles that departed from realism and viewed the actor as more of a total-theatre artist rather than a medium for expression of a certain character.

It seems like a bit of gamble to me...I look forward to seeing whether or not it pays off. After all, what's the use of theatre if it doesn't take risks?