SISSY is a modern-day reimagining of Sisyphus, expressed through dance and explored from a female perspective, taking place between the worlds of a theater and a miles-long rock quarry. But this isn’t just any woman, and this isn’t just any rock—it is a rock by day, the moon by night and a disco ball for special occasions. And each day, Sissy must push it up the giant quarry which becomes deeper and more vast every time we extract more of the earth away. Not to mention, she’s pregnant. As Sissy’s belly grows, so does the story, and the dance weaves the imaginary world of SISSY into the real-life world of the theaters’ performers and its director, a new mother grappling with caring for her ill father and her baby boy. This piece beautifully and creatively explores the Sisyphean tasks and challenges of motherhood, being an artist, a performer, a daughter—and how our approach to them is the only thing within our control. With overlapping worlds where the imaginary and the real struggle for attention, SISSY—part dance, part theater and part personal essay with elements of film—is a beautiful beast of its own making and expression.
Show Notes: No intermission
Christopher Abbott
Ida Saki
Alia Shawkat
Marisa Tomei