SUNDER

Inspired by the citizens who died in Moore Street during The Easter Rising 1916. Niamh Mc Cann  & I  created a 7 minute physical embodiment/score that was repeated throughout the show.

ÚNA/CITIZEN

PHYSICAL SCORE FOR BODY.

NON VERBAL PIECE. ALLOWING THE MOVEMENT, SOUNDS AND BREATH OF THE BODY TO CREATE THE WORK.

IN SOME WAYS IT WAS A DUET.

Heated room. Costume – floral dress. Covered with clay. Light bulb above dim to dark. “The Score”. These are the beats, the movement score, like the notes on a sheet of musc. Embedded. Precise. repeated.

BEGINNING:

Sitting on table in a room of flowers and barricades. With dead-list sound score and Niamh. Seated. Left leg bent inwards. Right leg hanging over edge of table. Broken Perspex in right hand, used to fan, close to face. Fan face repeatedly.

Left hand hangs over left side of table, palm gently open. Heavy.  Spine slightly  tilted forward. Tired. Eyes shut. Breath shallow through slightly opened  mouth only. Fanning. Bells. Breathe in and out. Spine moves. Left hand flinches.  Breathe in & out. Spine moves. Fanning. Breathe in & out. Spine moves. Fanning. Eye lids flutter. Breathe in through nose.  Breathe out. An intimate, interior deep breath. Breathing out, spine moves. Head/neck, tilt-­‐up. Eyelids  flutter. Fanning. Eyelids flutter. Breathe in & out through mouth  only. Breaths gentle. Then open mouth wider to O with  the rhythm.  In & out. Fanning. Head & neck tilting upwards. Head, neck, eyelids  turn slowly  to left. See only through eyelashes. Fanning. Eye contact. If present. Bringing face back, breaking eye contact. To air. To myself. To need air. Head  tilt up. Breath in. More needful. Still fanning. Sound  of breath going deeper. Chest breath. Mouth breath. Gasps. Fanning. Spine tilts upwards. Neck up. Mouth up. Eyelids up. Gasp. Gasp. In. Gasp. Gasp. Open Mouth O. Gasp in. Spine tight. In air too much now. Breath getting  choked. Hands spasm. Mouth spasm. Up. Up. Spine tight. Neck backwards. Right hand spasm with Perspex. Left hand spasm. Gravity pull. Mouth wide open.  Spasm. Neck  spasm.  All body shakes in motion. No air. No air. No air.  No air.  No  air. Head  tilted  back. Open mouthed O. Inner scream. Gasp. Rattle. Gasp. Spasm. Spine spasm. Release. Two hands moving to flat on table. Mouth down. Head down.Neck letting head fall  down. Saliva falls. A cascade of juice from lips to table top.  It gathers in  a small  lake. The last water dribbling from lips. Breathe out. Released.

Head understands. Nods, a  gentle nodding. Right leg still hanging. Left leg still in a bend on table. Right hand moves to edge of table on right side and the Perspex is released. It falls to the floor.  Beat. Swell of Sound. Move to right corner of table.    Pulling body weight from side to top of table. Head down. Move to corner. Lie on right side. Pull knees in  to body. Hands over face. Foetal. Pull body  in to self.

Spasm. Hold. Startle pose. Hold. Shake. Startle. Release. Fall. Table flat. Moment.   Turn over to back. Lift up. Reach with right hand up. Up. Up. Towards. Up. Hold.Spasm. Shake. Moment. Moment. Fall back. Hands and arms release. Backwards. Fall over top of table.  As if shot. Fast. Bang. Hands and arms limp overhead. Eyes open slowly, very slowly. Move feet to rotate upper body. Back of head slumping over the corner of  the table. Edge pushing into neck. Breathe through mouth. Rotate  (180 degrees) Head over table. Arms over head.  Eye contact.If present. Dead body. Shallowbreath. Hanging off table. Parched  slow  breath. Niamh’s head turns  and body falls to acknowledge.  Two heads. Two mouths. Two bodies. Two tables.(“ I know you” inner thought)              Niamh spasms up, away from me. I hang. Shallow breath. Open  mouth. Count of 5. Break. Start to turn over onto left  side. Weight slowly moving over body.

Through body. Over. Slow to left. Arms guiding the direction. Arms guiding  the       weight  dispersal.  Complete turn.  Startle breath. In between. Eye contact. If present.Falling slowly  to hanging body over corner of table. On the edge. On the left.  Head  and arms down. Towards. Open-­‐mouthed. Saliva falls from lips into a    pool on the  floor.  Splash on the clay-­‐covered-­‐wooded-­‐floor. Time passes.              Niamh’s trauma. Tremor and hang. The creak. The schism. The dead list begins. Move to turn.Reverse.  Rotate around. Arms guiding. Top body back on table top.    Feet slowly back on table  top. Wait.  “Bridget Mc Kane”.  Spasm. Hand to head. Right  hand  to forehead. Taut body. Out  breath. Pull head/hair down  with right    hand. Stop. Foetal. Stop. Spasm body out to full length. Release. Right arm falls   over side.  Swing.Gentle. “Elizabeth Hanratty”. Up.Up. Weight on  left arm.

Two leg lifted up mid-­‐air. Right hand and arm at angles. Cower. Right arm swings to back. Shoots bullets.3 across back. Flies around stomach. Through the gap of body on left arm. Bang. Right hand. Bang onto table. Full body. Repeat. Violent swing back looking. Back flat on table. Two hands on sides of table. Knees up.Feet on table. 3 hip pushes. Rushes. Startle. Look up. “John Doyle”. Begin umbrella. Up. Right hand. Slow.Slow.Up. Up.7 clicks of thumb. Softly. Gentle. Eyes. Open.There is light. Up.Hand taughtens to flat straight palm. Swing palm over head with direct straight arms. Pulls body up. Momentum. Up.Torso off. Pelvis raised.Head still backwards.Heavy. Over theedge. ”Rotunda Hospital”. Two hands straight to hips. Encase them. Shiver them. Break them. Cut them. Mouth echoes. Mouth Shivers.(Ssssssh sound) Encase. Break. Cut. Hips fall back to table. Two palms rest on womb.On tubes. Open. Fingered. Breath in belly. Release. Slow.Breath. Two hands nearly clasped.“John Maher” (Brothers). Move. Right Index finger and middle finger over chest. Tapping chest x 5. Open chest. Two fingers on thorax. Push In.“Jervis St. Hospital”. Push fingers into thorax. Feel pulse. Fingers away from thorax. Turn body towards mirror. Edge of table. Thumb traces over lips.Open-mouthed. Gentle breath. Slow rise Up. Two arms. To surrender. “John O’Duffy”. Sitting at end of table facing barricade of chairs and tables. Arms Up. Surrender. Breathe out. See. Surrender. Pulse arms up and out to open arms. An offer.Arms slowly then quickly move together in symmetry to table. Right hand becomes conscious. Head tilt to right to see it. Hand moves slowly along the clay covered brown table. “Joseph Geraghty”. Hand sees Niamh’s hand, fingers holding on to corner of table. Touch. Perhaps. Thought. Hand pulls back to person. Me. Sit. Breathe out. Just sit. Eyes open but heavy hooded. Turn away. Lift foot. Up. Right leg and foot.“Mary Ann Corcoran”. Kick Niamh’s fingers off table. Eye contact. If present. Move to sit straight again. Eyes forward. Correct seated posture. Right arm and hand fall through legs. Straighten arm and hand.Catch. Inside. Sit back up Knees come up. Balance. Spasms. Thumb across thorax 3 times. Shiver. Spasm. Balance. Shot. Release into Niamh’s arms behind me. “ Patrick Mc Manus”. Sharp release away. Back to seated. Niamh sits.Begin screamsee-­saw. Right hand guiding Niamh backwards. Guiding but not touching. “Robert Oulson” See-­saw mirror of scream. Niamh backwards. Me seated. Left hand clutching throat. Mine. Not touching. Cut. Breath. Cut. Shiver. Froth. Expel. See-­saw up. Then. Backwards. Full body. Right leg up. Propel to other table. “Thomas Reilly”. Hold. Raft. Mouth open. Hands clasp. Edge forward. Look. Down. Over board. Over ledge. Scrape two claws down the wood. Hold. Look down. Spasm. Over reach. Release. Release. Release. Niamh places two gentle hands on shoulders. Release. Niamh takes limp arms and head and puts them in an egg crate. Fit. Fit. Rest. Niamh climbs on body. Huddles. Mother’s love. Rests. Covers. Protects. All weight. Allbody. “William Mullen” Beat. Beat. Quiet.Rest. Pieta.Rest Spine. Exploding shivers starts up. The light hand over cheek. Spasms. Startles. “William Heavy” Snake. Undulate spasms. Snake. All body shiver spasm. Butterfly slap spasms on face. Fast. Faster. Faster. Butterfly flames. Bigger. fear. Open-­‐mouth. Fear. Out.Hands.Parched. Fire. Spasm.Gutteral O. Gutteral O. Body spasm.“Unidentified”. Flip spine to weight on right ribcage. Spasm. Hand encased spasm-shake. Hand butterfly rapid shake. Back. Forth. Mouth open.O. Fire. Parched. Hands move to cover face. Cover. One massive outbreath and In. Shake. Startle. Sore. Sore. Burnt.Tender.Trace right hand over right eye. Eyelash dew. No air. No mist on eye. Dry lashes. Gentle. No. Parched. Eye. Left hand covering face. Right eye barely open. Right hand moves to parched mouth. All fingers inside.Two fingers move outside mouth. Gasp. Open Mouth. Bigger open gasp. Parched Bird. Left hand still covers left side of face. Right hand moves again to mouth. To gently coerce. Open lips. Dried. Broken. Dusty lips. For air. Back still flat on table/raft/ledge. Knees still in spasm. Gut in spasm. Release. Release now. Rest. Rest. Hands nurse face. Gentle. Rest now. Release. Give In. Body heavy. Gentle roll to slumber. An entombed slumber. One final startle. Violent. Hands startled and fired. A woman shrouded. Encased. Held. Like a Pompeii mirror. Breath. Mouth. Slow. Baby side sleep.