Speaking freely with Eliza Schneider

Gothenburg Fringe 2024 in review: Freedom of Speech review by Clare O'Brien

Tyrone from New Orleans said: “I want Americans to hear this. So they hear it in their own circle and realise how deep we are.”

Tyrone had not only heard but also seen Eliza Schneider’s one-woman show ‘Freedom of Speech’.

It is of interest that he used “hear” and not “see” as Eliza’s key work is auditory in nature, and its power incites true belief in what is being seen.

“She didn’t mock anyone. We felt seen. She made us be seen.”

Importantly, he saw himself. It’s no surprise he focused on listening, as voice actor Eliza’s primary focus is to listen to voices and, in this production, tell us some of the stories she has experienced.

Eliza questions “Do I have the right to tell these stories that aren’t mine?” She is a storyteller. She embodies the skills of this human tradition from before man learned to write. Storytellers collected and re-told stories to pass on learning, culture and education, to remember people, recall their stories and record history.

Eliza Jane Schneider performing Freedom of Speech | photo: Uros Hocevar

Through this medium Eliza recollects her story via her search of voices and through uncovering the identities of others.

The voices that spoke to her are recovered and replayed to us, initially from a recording and then directly from Eliza. She has an auditory photographic memory and can re-inhabit them as  authentically as they were given to her. This is Eliza’s heart and her journey takes her back to herself, to her reservation roots, where potentially this ancient form of art began.

The art of the storyteller is complex, replicating voices is not a simple act of mimicry. She explains that part of reproducing a voice stems from the body and how a person moves. Mannerisms and expressions inform sound and movement alike. The voice lives within our physicality, by utilising this aspect the voice comes alive.

Her ability to live each voice is demonstrated repeatedly to perfection. We see people of all ages, stages, denominations and walks of life. Eliza becomes each one. At one point she shows us a whole family. The father, mother, older sister, middle brother, and younger sister are all present together as a unit but played by only one. You feel privileged to know them and hope for them.

Eliza Jane Schneider performing Freedom of Speech | photo: Uros Hocevar

Not only do we hear their own words, we listen to them sing and play fiddle. Eliza trained at The Eastern School of Music in classical voice and violin, then later at Hollywood’s “The Rock voice” by the same coach as Axel Rose, including fiddle-style violin with Richard Greene of “Nitty Gritty Dirt Band” fame. She is an accomplished musician. After a standing ovation from a solo performance aged nine Eliza knew she was for the stage. Her mother was an actress but due to industry politics did not pursue her career in the field.

Eliza’s career as an actress, singer, playwright and dialect coach includes voice-over and voice-matching work, for instance, that of American actress Blake Lively. You may have heard her on South Park and Assassins Creed. She is also researching and writing a dialect book and this play stems from her earlier research in this area.

Describing this work as “Evolving portraits of an evolving nation” Eliza details the extent of her 795 interviews and how the work which examines American perspectives is constantly evolving. First conceived in 1994 the main body was completed in 1996 and this latest version was finalised in 2013.

Eliza Jane Schneider performing Freedom of Speech | photo: Uros Hocevar

This complex production weaves a narrative which reads like a modern day quest. Through questioning others the protagonist discovers what lies within the self. Bordering on filmic imagery this one-woman masterpiece cleverly incorporates the use of sound, sound effects, music, lighting and costume to take the viewer all over the US of A. We meet many colourful characters along the way, some surprising, some enchanting, others dangerous and nasty. All we understand are real.

These are real voices we otherwise would not have heard, telling us their stories in their own words, which we did not even know we needed to hear. These are stories we might have chosen not to listen to, through ignorance, prejudice or fear, voices that would otherwise disappear, as ancient languages have vanished from our knowledge as they were no longer spoken.

All these voices need to be heard, not just heard but listened to and acknowledged. These real people are here. We need to hear them and Eliza is the perfect conduit as the collector of voices and stories, and the teller of them. We are all part of the story. Tyrone was part of the story. That is what Eliza realises and the gift that freedom of speech gives to us all.