Larissa Marten
BFA ’17, Theatre & Drama
I Killed the Cow is a devised, solo, multi-media theatre piece that I have written under the supervision of Gillian Eaton, Assistant Professor of Theatre at the University of Michigan. It will be performed in the Duderstadt Video Center in March 2017. During both performances, it will be filmed, and on the last performance it will be live streamed. I Killed the Cow centers around the journey of one woman, as she unearths the moments that have shaped her into the sexual being that she is. This piece begs the question: how can we become fully actualized sexual beings, with the stigmas and experiences associated to sex in today’s society. As a multimedia theatre piece, I Killed the Cow includes components of many different art forms. Despite being a solo show, the creative process requires the expertise of a composer, sound engineer, and an entire film team to tackle the supporting art forms that will bolster the solo performance itself. As such, each of these roles will offer students from a wide range of artistic fields the opportunity to lead their own components of the creative process and hire their own support teams to successfully complete the original score, filmed projections, and live design components that will complement the performance on stage. Additionally the audience will be integral to the show. The show begins with each audience member answering questions on a sheet of paper, such as, “My first sexual partner’s name was…” and, “The last person I talked to about sex was…” There are moments in the show where I, the performer, will use these names as extra characters in the story; creating audience inclusion without forcing participation.
Library Mentor: Meredith Kahn