As the semester reaches its second half, the spring production of “Dark Water” is putting the final touches on its performance, and SLU has never seen a production on this scale. Told from the perspective of marine life, the show promises to be a swimmingly good time, as the stage will be flooded with 300,000 gallons of water and several barrels of crude oil to accurately represent the historic BP spill. Spoiler alert: this will be handed out in cups to audience members, who will be instructed to dump the oil onstage at the appropriate moment as part of an effort to improve audience participation and highlight the immersive experience.
Cast members have spent months alternating rehearsals with scuba lessons. Paige Currie ’19 comments on the difficulty of acting underwater, saying “It was quite a challenge. Trying to sing with the oxygen mask on was difficult.” Scuba packs are hidden within costume pieces, including ninja turtle backpacks and flowing layers. This week they have been completing full dress rehearsals by throwing oil in the Augsbury pool (don’t tell the swim team).
The majority of the show’s budget was spent on lining the stage to prevent leakage and outfitting audience seating areas with pool floaties. This may seem like a steep budget for a theater production; however, St. Lawrence is one of just many schools that suffers from excessive over-funding of the arts across this country, and the PCA Department has money to burn (possibly literally- stay tuned for the fall production).
Given the message and rigorous acting requirements for this show, it’s certainly set to make waves. Stage manager Ursula Martin ’20 shares, “I’m so proud of the cast and crew for really going the extra mile with this experience, and I can’t think of a better group of people to be submerged and coated in oil with.” Awww.
Disclaimer: the cast and crew take no responsibility for any damage to people, belongings, the environmental fallout, or any personal trauma caused by this experience. While the production may have raised concerns from multiple environmental groups across campus for being “dangerous,” “wasteful,” “literally ridiculous” and “WTF,” the cast would like to remind the community that this is #ART.
All in all, it sounds like a whale of a time, and I highly recommend surfing on over to the box office to get your tickets soon! The show will be running from April 4-8. Doors will be nailed shut at 8 p.m. sharp, so everything will be flooded in a timely manner.