For upcoming production, all the world's a 'water stage'
by Bell
The stage directions on the first page of the play are explicit: “The stage is entirely occupied by a square or rectangular pool of water, of varying depth, bordered on all four sides by a wooden deck approximately three feet wide.”
Consequently, Coastal Carolina University Theatre’s fall 2014 production of "Metamorphoses" involved the total metamorphosis of the Edwards Theatre in the Humanities and Fine Arts building. Mary Zimmerman’s 1998 play, based on Ovid’s ancient poem, is a series of vignettes that offer contemporary interpretations of famous Greek myths. Most of the stories have a thematic connection to water, such as the “creation of the world” or the tale of Narcissus, who saw his reflection in a pool.
The idea to do "Metamorphoses" originated with Ken Martin, chair of CCU’s Department of Theatre. “One of the concentrations we offer in our BFA program is physical theatre,” says Martin. “So this play fit our criteria on many levels. It’s a great challenge for our students and our staff.”
Gregg Buck, technical director of the theatre department, designed the pool and directed the construction—which was done mostly by students. It measures 30 feet by 30 feet and was fully constructed in a campus warehouse during the summer before being broken down, moved and reassembled in the Edwards Theatre.
The unique thing about this pool is its depth: it is 36 inches deep and holds 13,000 gallons—that’s 120,000 pounds of water.
“I’ve seen other productions of this play, and they had only shallow wading pools,” says Martin. “This pool has passed all sorts of official safety regulations and has its own lifeguard, a theatre student who is a certified pool manager.”
The show’s director, Benjamin Sota, is CCU’s first physical theatre professor. A lifelong circus performer and an advocate of the Commedia dell'Art tradition, Sota has designed a dynamic production.
Sota is the soul of activity himself. A circus performer since age 16, he is adept at juggling, tight walking, the trapeze, the unicycle and the German wheel. He was inspired in his career choice by his grandfather, who had been in the circus.
“I’m not interested in just doing tricks,” says Sota, who is originally from Pittsburgh and has an MFA degree from the Accademia dell’Arte in Arezzo, Italy, where CCU has an academic residential program. “I’m more interested in the relationship/storytelling aspects of the circus, theatre and performance,” he says. He is a master of masks, puppets and pantomime.
As a young man, Sota bought an Italian tent and formed the Zany Umbrella Circus troupe, which has inspired audiences globally. He and his group have performed at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the White House, and many other nationally acclaimed venues. Sota has also worked extensively internationally, particularly in Afghanistan, Ethiopia and Jordan, where he explored the relationship between nonviolent activism and performance art.
Coastal’s BFA in physical theatre program is the only one of its kind in the United States. The program explores the intersection of several types of performance traditions: clowning, circus, theatre, activism and experimentation. Students in the program learn to create and collaborate, and their source material is nothing less than life itself. All the world really is a stage.
From Sota’s personal perspective, it is a falsehood when people say that performing art isn’t a practical career choice. “In 20 years, I’ve never been out of work a single day.”
