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This is the first installment of a series of posts I’m calling Stories from the Strange Side, about my adventures and explorations into less conventional forms of theatre—specifically in coursework I did at Grinnell focusing on avant-garde performance art. You wait with your classmates outside the green room. The seconds tick by without marker, a soft hum sneaking out from behind the closed door. Feet shuffle, gazes shift as the waiting continues. Shuffle, shuffle, shift. Finally, the hum stops and the electronic cry of a microwave calls you to enter; the performance will begin now. The professor opens the door, which creaks slightly—maintenance should really get on that—and the class files into the darkness beyond. In the seconds before the door shuts, you’re struck by the emptiness of the small room before -click- the closing door cuts off the light from the hall, leaving you in blackness. Once more the seconds tick by without marker, save your classmates’ breathing. He entered, where is he, room’s empty did I miss something. Doubts begin to run through your head but, dear viewer, they are soon put to rest. With a pop, a cold white light shoves back the shadows as the refrigerator door eases opens, revealing the curled, white-clad form of your lost classmate in his KitchenAid cryogenic pod. He steps out carefully, tentatively, peering with fresh eyes, and pads his way to an orange and pocketknife arranged on the table. Cast in harsh contrast by the frigid illumination, he kneels before the table, unfurls the knife’s sturdy blade, and with cruel precision incises the fleshy fruit once, twice, and shoves a whole slice into his mouth. A moment passes, and he raises his eyes to yours. His lips pull up in an orange-peel grin and, suddenly animated, he sprints out of the room, the hall’s warmth flashing for a moment before he leaves you behind, truly alone. Prompt: Introduce yourself to the class. You may not use words. Discovery: I can fit inside a standard fridge, so long as I think curly thoughts.
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