A peek inside Foot of Water by Single Carrot Theatre
Got questions about SCT’s latest offering? Perhaps this piece from Director Ben Hoover can shed some light.
Nearly one year ago, in early August 2011, the Single Carrot Ensemble sat down to talk about Foot of Water, what was then called, Long Process Ensemble Devised Work. With only a scheduled opening night ten months away, we asked, “what do we want to see a show about?” After weeks of research and discussion, we decided that the Sociology of Sex was a topic that could sustain us through creation, rehearsal, and performance. That is, it’s something we care about a great deal.
However, the process really took off later than those first discussions in August, and was sparked in December with a workshop on Grotowski-style trainings, as taught to us by Double Edge Theatre from Ashfield, MA. Much, if not all of Foot of Water, is sourced from the subsequent trainings born from this workshop. Out of these one of these trainings came the idea of ritual.
Think of the rituals we have all gone through, or will eventually go through in our personal sex histories: the first date, the high school dance, your first kiss, going to college, getting married, and ultimately, losing your virginity. Rituals are symbolic acts that are both prescribed by and reaffirm communities. These things establish the rules that create them. They are events that connect one man or woman with everyone else. (With a subject as ubiquitous as sex, it’s impossible to ignore the greater human—and, dare I say, animal—connection.)
But, more than that, it’s also useful to consider the cosmic nature of rituals. They provide a contraction of the cosmic envelope, shrink the whole world and give participants a site to communicate or interact with the external forces that govern their existence (here, with those that control our sex lives).
Now, we’re not strictly encouraging your participation in this performance, but should the desire arise, don’t be ashamed. We’re right there with you.