ABOUT THE SHOW

"But what is this marvellous, colourless, tasteless and odourless substance, which quenches our thirst like no other fluid? Did we but truly understand the essential nature of water - a living liquid - we would not treat it so churlishly, but would care for it as if our lives depended on it, which undoubtedly they do."
Callum Coats

Why Water?
We wanted to make a big show on a big subject - something that was universal, yet at the same time urgent and contemporary. And because it is a subject for everyone, we wanted to take it outside of theatres and appear with a big splash (one bad pun is allowed) in places where everyone goes.

We were struck at once by the paradox of water - that what appears the most familiar and natural of substances is also one of the weirdest. Water's peculiar properties are well-known to chemists, but most of are unaware that the key to water's magic lurks in unlikely scientific facts about hydrogen bonds, specific heat capacity, solvent properties and surface tension. But this is not really a show about chemistry - what fascinates us is what this means for the world we live in, from the water in our bodies, taps, bottles and wells to the melting ice caps and shrinking rivers of the globe at large.

In the end there is virtually no limit to what can be said, so we had to focus on relating to water in ways that tell a story and are meaningful to an audience. Every one of us has experience of water - too much of it, too little of it, the sounds it makes, the water around us and the water within us. The performers, and the video and sound designers, have all responded to water in unique and striking ways, structured and inspired by Robert Minhinnick's word's and Miranda Melville's extraordinary set design.