MASS/RABBLE

Submersive Productions

Baltimore War Memorial

Baltimore Maryland

Producers: Ursula Marcum, Glenn Ricci, Lisi Stoessel

Lead Artists: Lisi Stoessel and Yuko Kaseki

Lighting Designer: Helen Garcia-Alton

Assistant to the Lighting Designer: Mara Falbo-Wild

Costume Designer: Deana Fisher Brill

Sound Designer: Glenn Ricci

MASS/RABBLE is a devised piece composed of 30 individuals exploring the themes and journeys of human mass migration. In the piece, the performers invite the audience to immerse themselves in the “rabble” and consider themselves and the relationships we share with others and how they relate to current human events, such as mass shootings and mass communication. Having this piece staged within the Baltimore War Memorial is a haunting reminder of war and the everlasting flame being present means the space is never dark. Using minimal equipment, I was able to transform the space through color-mixing units and in utlizing the ceiling and the reflective granite floors I was able to increase the size of the space. This largeness reiterated the importance of human connection.

“Second, during the show’s wandering third act, we all get a chance to lay down and watch Garcia-Alton’s wonderful lighting play across the ceiling. Whereas the opera drew attention to the venue instead of the show, this felt like the climax of a fireworks performance. Dark greens and purples eased across the dark ceiling, like the colors you see just after closing your eyes. Those resolved into brighter, wilder patterns and colors, reflected in the smiling faces of my fellow audience members lying down around me. Garcia-Alton had earned our undivided attention with her work throughout the show, and now she had it. For this moment, the Memorial might as well have been a white sheet.” -Marshall Bradshaw for No Proscenium

Photographer: Glenn Ricci

© 2024 by Helen Garcia-Alton, All Rights Reserved