Lightning Strikes Anonymous and Other Stories March 11, 2011

March 11-13, 2011, all shows 8pm

What if being hit by lightning felt so good, you wanted to do it again and again? In 13th Floor's exciting evening of new collaborative dance theater, choreographer Jenny McAllister, writer Kim Green and visual designer Michael Oesch explore the mysterious power of electricity, from neural networks, to lightning strikes, to the complex tangle of Internet connections and the human brain. The evening is presented as two darkly humorous companion pieces: Lightning Strikes Anonymous and Under the (Periodic) Table. Both pieces will explore not only the physical manifestations of electricity, but also the social repercussions associated with its various forms.

The first piece, Lightning Strikes Anonymous, is theatrically structured as a strange AA (or LSA) meeting. Five strangers drawn together by this peculiar addiction share their stories, ranging from the sensual thrill of getting struck while holding on to a loved one, to a life changing run-in with a drive-through ATM during a storm. As these disparate characters struggle to explain the high achieved when their synapses connect with raw current in its most primal form, difficult questions arise: Did their addiction change them fundamentally, or simply enhance who they already are? Is the meeting really helping, or are they just figuring out new ways to get a hit? The second piece, Under the (Periodic) Table, features a post-WWII-era family's deeply integrated connection to the electricity in their home. The house they live in is an odd one; the lights go on and off on as they please, the appliances roar to life and die down as approached; the house is a 5th character in the piece, and not a nice one. Drawing parallels between the tangle of electric connections in the human brain to the tangle of wires controlling their home, the inhabitants carefully navigate the perils of engaging with their 5th and most powerful family member.

Official Website: http://13thfloordance.org