She took a bath and we all got in.

Her name is Siobhan O’Loughlin and she’s got some broken bones. Not just the 10 shoulder and arm bones: clavicle, scapula, humerus, radius, and ulna; or the 16 wrist bones: scaphoid, lunate, triquetrum, pisiform, trapezium, trapezoid, capitate, hamate; or the 38 hand bones: 10 metacarpals and 28 phalanges (finger bones) – the osseous matter housed in her giant colorful hand cast. I’m talking about real emotional skeletons.  The ones most of us carry around daily like unwieldy passions, unfulfilled dreams, frustration, loneliness, uncertainty.

And how does she heal?

By a heart to heart with friends, strangers and bubbles in an almost uncomfortably, immersive theatrical pastime – washing, literally and metaphorically naked in the bathtub.

Broken Bone Bathtub is so intimate that one needs to take a deep breath to relax into the interactive moments of helping Siobhan ritualistically bathe, while she also casually relates the very traumatic episode of her life-altering bike accident.

I admit I went into a flash panic being (myself) asked to wash her back during and as a part of the performance.  Maybe it was the wine.  There was plenty of it in the kitchen along with other tasty accouterments in a small apartment overlooking Hollywood Boulevard in the street-lit distance.  And I did giggle as one guy, awkwardly washed Siobhan’s hair, something he’d never done for anyone before.

Inevitably strange yet lovely was the feeling of sharing in something  warm and personal as to be soothing and for a fleeting hour, “not weird”.  We all told our stories about love, dating and bathing, private and public moments, back and forth to each other prompted by Siobhan. But yeah, it IS weird.  Hello, she’s in the tub! The novelty though, was enough to draw all 8 of us in to the moment utterly.

Quite an experience!

Broken Bone Bathtub
Created & Performed by Siobhan O’Loughlin
US Premiere: Los Angeles
Last performance is tonight!
Wednesday, July 22nd at 8:00pm in Sherman Oaks, zip code: 91411.

Hosted by Danielle Cintron. (Towon Alumni Night PART TWO)

EXTENDED UNTIL  SUNDAY,  JULY 26!  

Photos by Tracey Paleo: Siobhan O’Loughlin