Cleansing/Limpia

"Cleansing/Limpia: A Solo Ritual in Humor & Healing" is a one-woman comedy, spoken word, and movement show that I created and workshopped at the Kraine Theater in New York City on May 27, 2023. Working with pre-recorded narration and music, I improvised different rituals to develop comedic and poetic visuals and motions that inspire restoration, healing, and purification. In the process, I celebrated the acts of finding or expressing joy and paying homage to both our inner child and ancestors.

This solo show came out of the following group performance that I developed:

"Cleansing/Limpia" is a community healing ritual and performance that was presented at Irondale Center in Brooklyn on Jan. 27th and Jan. 28th, 2023. Selected for the Revolving Door Festival, the piece was created and workshopped over the course of four days before its public presentation. The 38-minute show is largely improvised to scripted narration and sound design, using original words and modified music by Livio Amato. After conceiving an open-ended movement script, I directed an all-female cast to improvise different "rituals" based upon interaction with each other and objects in the space (fruits, baskets, fabrics, cosmetics, etc.) In doing so, they created visuals and motions that inspired restoration, healing, purification, and the acts of finding or expressing joy and paying homage to our mothers/grandmothers/female ancestors. The festival was a process-oriented experience with five other works presented by selected theatre companies after 6-8 hours of discovery and rehearsal time throughout the week-long event.

The Cast

Christine Stoddard (writer/director/performer)
Laura Aristovulos
Meredith Binder
Maya Cumento
Fernanda García
Fiamma Piacentini
Jehiny Rodriguez
Melannie Vásquez Lara