The Wake

“We have become spectators to our own culture.” These are the prophetic words of Sandy Speiler’s vision “Invigorate the Common Well,” being staged at the Heart of the Beast Puppet Theater. Both hopeful and painful, the theatrical performance is a passionate combination of public art and social justice. “Come to the Well,” the first in a three part series, confronts the problems of water distribution throughout the globe, from the suburbs of the Midwest to the slums of India.

The show begins with a slideshow/live action performance piece. Images of streams are juxtaposed over poverty-stricken children; drops of water providing for a village are mixed with the drops of blood from thirsty protesters. “Invigorate the Common Well” is a step towards recognizing the consequences of our personal and governmental decisions in dealing with water. Light and dark, the show starts off with a call to action, advocacy, and awareness of a global situation. Although the actors are the main focus of the production, the show goes far beyond being merely a performance piece.

The show transforms into a public forum halfway through as all the members, both audience and performers, are asked to walk around the theatre and view the different exhibits, write down suggestions for conservation, and speak with members of the theatre. Painted toilets and finger puppet skits are mixed with films of women forced to carry 20 kilogram jugs of healthy drinking water over five miles. Following the puppet skits and performances, the audience is asked to consider more eco-friendly solutions to their visible water use, such as planting prairie grass to reduce the water used to keep lawns green. Another topic of discussion is invisible water use, like the water that goes into the production of a car.

The project was inspired by a broken water fountain in the lobby of the theatre itself, a problem that forced the theatre to participate in the privatization of water (they started selling bottled water). For Speiler, the instigator of this project, this performance is “an emblematic act towards reinvigorating our awareness and our commitment to the commons.” Speiler works with the Tomales Bay Institute to help the commons, the “vast wealth of natural and human achievement” that is our culture and our community. Speiler says she is trying to create a work where people can be invigorated within their own cultural celebration and their own investigation. This investigation is present in every aspect of the show, from the statistics pasted against every toilet seat showing water waste to the 17-minute long slide show about the water crisis in Bolivia.

Often called “The War over Water”, the Bolivian crisis is the quintessential case used to emphasize the consequences of the privatization of water. In 2000, the Bolivian government, after suggestions by the World Bank, sold large parts of its public water works to a private company, Bechtel Corporation. This deal caused water prices to rise from double and triple in some of the country’s poorest regions. Soon afterwards all progress in the country halted. Riots broke out in every major town and the government responded, killing several innocent citizens, including a 17-year-old boy.

“The Common Well” introduces people to the controversies surrounding water: Who controls it? Where does it go? Educating people about the problem is the first step in stimulating discussion about making water consumption more democratic. The restoration of the lobby drinking fountain brings together the project in a final celebration. Episode 2: “Beneath the Surface” and episode 3: “Decorate the Well in Gratitude,” will be productions of similar style to “Invigorating the Common Well,” using art, advocacy and information to educate the public and brainstorm solutions for the water crisis. At “Invigorating the Common Well,” discussion creates both advocacy and celebration. Whether you want to see a show that is aesthetically pleasing or socially active, “Invigorate the Common Well” will suit either need as the perfect example of guerilla theatre at its best.