Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Everything is Shit

Shit has become a large part of The Heyokah Project.  It all started when Birgitta stood in the center of the stage during a very lovely ensemble movement piece and yelled "SHIT!" over and over.  This may seem out of place, but shit is actually very important to the Heyokah tradition.  Heyokahs would make elaborate necklaces out of dog shit in order to show proud necklace-wearers that they were being vain.  They would also frequently cover themselves in shit during sacred ceremonies to prevent self-righteousness.

Besides being important to Heyokah ceremonies, shit is also a crucial part of life.  Without shit, our intestines would explode.  Furthermore, shit provides vital nutrients to the soil, soil which enables plants to grow.  The plants then feed animals, animals create shit, and the cycle continues again and again.  So shit is basically life.  Life is shit.

Right now the cast is in the "shit phase" (a technical theatrical term) of the rehearsal process, but as the previous paragraphs suggest, shit is crucial to life.  So even though this part of the process may stink, we must embrace it and work through it so that something beautiful can emerge.

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