[This article originally appeared on Antony Gormley's One & Other website, click here to view.]

Plinthers: you have been chosen! Excitement is spreading across the Internet; feverish blogging and happy Twittering has revealed some of the 615 men and women who will be standing in Trafalgar Square this July. But there are still 1,785 places up for grabs - it could be you.... With the final go-ahead from Westminster City Council last week, Antony Gormley's One & Other is taking shape and looks set to make this summer that extra bit special. Love it or hate it, it will get you talking!

For many Plinthers a realisation is dawning on them: 'what am I actually going to do on the Plinth?!' But inspiration is becoming contagious as more and more people are stepping up with amazing ideas. My personal favourite so far is Jill Gatcum who is releasing a balloon every sixty seconds - each balloon will have a different charity donation request attached.

I want to bring you an insight from someone who knows all about performing a 'one-man' show. When on holiday in New York last month, I saw a piece of Theatre that struck me as striking, unique and remarkably relevant to the task ahead for selected Plinthers.

Peter NeofotisPeter Neofotis (right) brings the ancient art of oral story telling into the 21st century with his solo shows. His performances are all his own words; short stories written about a fictional town called Concord in the American Southern State of Virginia. Narrating through an array of characters, Neofotis tells their tales from history, covering the end of the nineteenth century to the 1970's. Stories include that of a hunter who, after accidentally killing his wife, finds hundreds of vultures in his yard, and the tale of an albino woman who hears ghosts of America's past in the songs of birds.

Have you ever heard of a panegyric? I'll save you from reaching for the dictionary - the noun is an oration in praise of a person or thing. Peter Neofotis describes himself as such - a 'panegyrical performer', and it's not just the act of praise that he covers; there is a whole spectrum of emotions expressed on stage. Neofotis puts himself truly in the story; he feels it, he lives it, and he invites you, the audience, to be there with him in the moment. When I saw Neofotis perform at Dixon Place Theatre he became visibly caught up in the emotion of the tales, the plights of tragedy and joy, making me realise he means business when he is story telling. Straight from the opening line, you are there in the midst of an oration that will make you laugh, cry and then hold your breath as you await the finale. Here's Peter in action:

Many of Peter's tales can be read in his debut book, Concord, Virginia: A Southern Town in Eleven Stories, published next month with St. Martin's Press in the US.

Peter's work suits the One & Other experience. With no props on the confined space of the stage, he is his own Art. Like the audience that stare up at his one-man show: Londoners, tourists and webcam viewers will stare up at Plinthers.

I caught up with Peter to ask a few questions about his craft and his thoughts on One & Other - here's what he had to say:

Tell us how you became a panegyrical performer
When I was in my early teens, I would memorise large sections of classical dramas. My older sisters would then have these large keg parties with all their friends and have me perform for the crowd. My first routine was of the War of the Worlds.

What do you feel defines your style as a unique performer?
Even though I am doing a one-man show, the stories I tell are fictional tales inspired and about other people, archetypes that the audience can relate to as much as I can. Also, I am performing memorised prose to be published in the written form.

Do you seek any form of connection with your audience?
Absolutely. I am not telling the story to the audience as much as we are reliving the experience together.

What do you hope your audience will take away from one of your performances?
I hope my audience will feel empowered to ask questions about the human experience. How do we overcome our painful past while not falling into the sterilised eeriness of modernity? Can we see the failure of most organised religions while still holding onto life's mystical forces?

Do you think the desire to be artistically expressive is part of the human psyche, or something that only drives Artists?
I think it's part of everyone. People need to connect with others in a highly emotional way that is not sexual. Hunter-gathering man had this outlet through the campfire dance. People could scream and yell and chant all night long in a way that was fluid and open to communication between the performer and the audience. Some of the best stories I've read are expressions of pain by ordinary people who are crying from the wound of not being able to have an outlet for artistic expression. I think we need to be more open to fostering the artists in the whole human psyche, and I think the Plinth is a good step.

Antony Gormley is appealing to the public to represent humanity, do you think humanity is going to look good?
Susan Boyle recently showed that brilliance can shine from the most unlikely places - as long as we give it a chance.

Susan Boyle could be an applicant! What advice would you give Plinthers who are preparing to go up in front of the public?
Congratulations on taking a risk and putting yourself out there. It is the first step. Remember that it will be best if you go at with your all and have faith and comfort. Allow the art to speak from your bones.

Do you think there would be an appetite for a One & Other Plinth in the US?
Absolutely.

And if you had a place on the plinth, what would you do?
A story of mine called The Builders, a Prometheus Bound fable recast on Virginia's Natural Bridge. It is a dramatic reckoning between an albino woman,  chained black man, and the ghost of Thomas Jefferson - all on the edge of a precipice. Do you think we could arrange lighting too?

You would be welcome to bring your own lights. So are you going to be watching Plinthers on the webcam? And do you think we're going to get any shocking surprises?
Yes, I will watch. And yes, there will be some surprises. Someone totally unassuming will do something truly extraordinary.

Thanks Peter - I hope "truly extraordinary" is going to describe the sight of anyone standing up high on the Fourth Plinth!

Plinther Charles Hunt left a comment on the website here to let us all know he would be doing a costumed reading of Charles Dickens, and seeing as he appears to be a professional Voice Artist, we're in for a treat of a panegyrical nature!

Of course, Literature is no stranger to the art of monologues. The ones that stick in my mind are the witty and scheming soliloquies of Shakespeare's Richard III, as he bends down to the audience mid-conversation, delivering a line or two about the Machiavellian plot to unfold. Perhaps there is a Richard III Plinther out there? Any takers?

I want to leave you now with a question for Plinthers and potential Plinthers: will you be trying to engage your audience? You have an advantage over a statue of bronze or stone; you can interact! Will you be smiling, waving, pleading, lecturing, berating, or educating your audience? - Or any other verbs you care to think of?!