Pounds and Pounds of Dirt

A silent one-act physical theatre production collaboratively created by four young actors under the age of 20. Four clowns from different undesirable backgrounds (Deaf, Immigrant, Artist, and person with Mental Illness) are abused by the system, represented by masked businessmen. The ending, while not a happy one, brings the four clowns together at the fringes of society, where they confront the audience with the question of how to belong.

All images, unfortunately, are from old low-res video, but the performance of these young actors was remarkable!

• Intersection for the Arts, San Francisco, 1994

• ‘Pounds and Pounds of Dirt’ collaboratively created by r.a.t.co. (Riot Act Theatre Company)
• Directed by Chrystene Ells
• Performed by Michell Arellano, Lorna Aquino Chui, Victor Rosales and Dan Weil