On an otherwise cold and dreary night, deep in the bowels of the Vern Riffe Center in downtown Columbus, a group of artists from Available Light Theatre gathered to rehearse for their next show, 33 Variations by Moises Kaufman.

“We’re playing around with movement,” explained director, Eleni Papaleonardos, as I peeled off my coat and settled into a folding chair. The first time this cast met, they shared a potluck dinner and read the entire script sitting around a table. On the night of my visit, they were focused solely on the physicality of their characters and the spatial relationships between one another.

The instruction for the first exploration was to enact “not the scene of a first date, but the idea of it.” Actors Acacia Duncan and Adam Humphrey proceeded to dramatize the engage/disengage ritual of courtship without uttering a single word. Halfway through the exercise, Papaleonardos quietly pulled out her iPod, selected a tune, and slid it into a docking station, filling the room with a swell of piano and violins.

“Process can be slippery,” she explained the next day over lunch. “Music can easily dictate the movement of the actors, so I do my best in the moment to find music that fits the mood or a certain aspect of the scene.”

Music is an important element of 33 Variations. The action moves between past and present: the world of 19th century German composer Ludwig van Beethoven as he becomes obsessed with a seemingly pedestrian waltz by composer Anton Diabelli, and present-day fictional character Katherine Brandt, a musicologist diagnosed with ALS, who becomes obsessed with Beethoven’s obsession.

Live music will be incorporated into the performance with a live pianist performing fragments of variations on stage throughout the show. While the two main characters struggle with physical ailments – Beethoven’s encroaching deafness and Brandt’s rapidly deteriorating body – those closest to them (most notably Beethoven’s often put-upon secretary and Brandt’s daughter) are forced to deal with the fall-out when fear turns to desperation.

On the night of the rehearsal in the Riffe Center, the actors worked together to develop rhythms and strengthen motivations. After another exercise, Papaleonardos posed a question: “Is there anything anyone discovered that they didn’t know before?”

“It just occurred to me how much I’ll have to fight,” said Duncan.

Not every exercise yielded grand insight, but they served to inform behavior or pose questions that could be further examined and explored. I was also struck by how engaged each member of the cast was despite the potential on-the-spot critique.

Papaleonardos explained it this way:

“Just as investigating the text is really important, investigating the characters and the ideas and the feelings from something other than strictly the mind is vital to understanding.”

Available Light Theatre presents 33 Variations by Moises Kaufman, January 12th – 21st. For more information, visit www.avltheatre.com.