About the Show

In this new drama, when a compelling stranger arrives in a tiny seaside town and initiates radical changes to the community, three long-time residents begin to lose their sense of home.

Dramatic lighting and video, live music, and innovative set design create a swiftly changing landscape of upscale living and chic restaurants that suddenly transforms into a magical sunken world. Inspired by a passage from Gabriel Garçía Márquez’s novella 'Sea of Lost Time' — a town drowns on a Sunday afternoon but persists, submerged, in its daily life, as if the deluge had never occurred — 'Sea of Common Catastrophe' challenges its audiences and its artists to consider the exploitations and the opportunities inherent in profound shifts of urban communities.

Critic Reviews (5)

"Immersion theater at its best...We never worry about the meaning of what is happening before our eyes or hugging our ears. Instead we are swept along...Becker often works with the same artists, and the comforts of collaboration are clearly felt...'Sea of Common Catastrophe' offers the pleasure of single vision, Jeff Becker’s inspired by Marquez. The surprise of the unfamiliar in two actors and chorus add to the moving mix...This show is well worth the trip.”
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“A vivid, experimental production...The text itself is solid and effective yet there is a decided lack of realistic dialogue...Thankfully, ‘Sea’ delivers on various fronts, including solid acting, lovely songs...and nuanced blocking. Were the show merely a display of visual dexterity, it would be memorable...A dynamic evening of non-traditional theater festooned with rich imagery sure to delight the sophisticated theatergoer."
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For a previous production

“An ensemble-generated show...An abstract, figurative work about New Orleans and some of its inhabitants...Performances are assured, and the show is polished...The piece has emotionally resonant moments about soul searching and perseverance. Some scenes seem to be about setting a mood more than telling a story, and the piece can feel too introverted, as in some longer dance scenes and songs. The show is often poetic but also at times elusive.”
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For a previous production

“A beautiful performance piece that moves the mind and heart. It shows not just the horror that so many who were affected by Hurricane Katrina, but a vast array of emotions—and lack of emotions—the natural disaster wrought on New Orleans...The cast's performance and symphonic movement is outstanding. There was one cast member who I was most moved by...Shattuck, who plays Tobias...Every look, every turn, every nuance is tethered to your own heart."
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For a previous production

“As a work of theater, ‘Sea of Common Catastrophe’ might disappoint. There’s no clear plot. The characters interact through song and movement, but not through dialogue. All of this, though, is intentional...It’s a whimsical performance that offers a poetic and sometimes absurd reflection on how to handle what we consider catastrophes...The show is a timely reminder that imagination and collaboration are the best responses."
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