CIDE
A Devised Work
MITU580 | Brooklyn, NY
Directed by AYA Taur and Cati Kalinoski
Scenic Design by Karen Kitchell
Costume Design by Karen Kitchell
Lighting Design by Jessica Wall
Sound Design by AYA Taur
Photography by Jessica Wall
Additional Collaborators:
Meghan Piper Johnson, Kayla Juntilla, ODie Mers, Corrine Paulson, Isabella Uzcategui
CIDE is an examination of self-death as it exists in our daily lives in the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual realms. In every moment of every day, we are dying. Our skin flakes and leaves us, our emotions rise and fall, our minds forget and remember, and our soul continues its journey home. Through the limits of the human body in a context-less world, 5 characters come to terms with their non-existence as they are suspended in time at the moment of their individual suicides.
The Process:
The development of CIDE began in 2018 with a group of collaborators who eventually became the characters in the show. They began work on developing 'approaches' based in movement, which can be seen throughout the show as the various scenes are interspersed and molded by movement pieces. These rehearsal moments also came into the final world of the show in shifts and the actors take on their own personalities over their characters.
2 months out from the show the designers were brought into the room to help in developing the world of the show. All collaborators partook in the creation of the whole world CIDE takes place it, with the overarching question: "Are we alive?"
This question guided the discussion of this world, bringing up ideas such as thinking of death as a kaleidoscope of your life; what a transitory space felt like; could this be a constantly shifting world; what is the grounding force (gravity?); how does circumstantial time function and more. These questions were essential to creating the final world of the show.
