#ps 122

It is both similar to and the opposite of Sleep No More.  Instead of the audience having the opportunity to be participants, we are spectators.  While there is no fourth wall at The McKittrick, there are literally walls surrounding the performers of HABIT and the audience can only peep into the action via several windows around the acting space.  Like SNM, the play is on a loop – although it cycles for 8 hours between 1pm – 9pm and there are two casts which alternate days.  Also similar to SNM, an audience member can choose to follow the characters from room to room or window to window as the case may be.  Unlike a repeat visitor to SNM, the audience member can’t necessarily anticipate where any one character is going to be at any given time.  Events are repeated, of course, but not necessarily in the same location, with the same intention, or even with the same outcome.

The play has three actors and the director has given them a set of rules that must be followed (although I doubt this is all of them).  The text of the play must always be spoken and in the order it is written.  There are no set stage directions.  Props cannot be reset in preparation for further cycles.  There is one character that isn’t allowed to hear a particular section of dialogue so the other two must never be in his presence during this moment.   There is also one other rule, but to divulge it would be a huge spoiler. From reading a handout afterwards, there is a secret rule where each actor once a day must take either a bath or shower although they have the option of doing this behind a curtain. 

The set is a small 700 square foot house.  It has a bedroom with a closet, a small storage room, an open kitchen with a table, a living room, and a bathroom.  The kitchen is stocked with some food, has a working fridge, sink, microwave, and stove.  The television works. There are also ipods, cds, video cameras, etc to be used.  The house is overflowing with props to choose from – all realistic to the house, the characters, and the situation of the play.  As the events of the show revolve around Halloween, there are decorations strewn about everywhere.  The characters can choose to change their clothes as well. 

Similar to working a job from 9:00am – 5:00pm, there are other things that happen every day.  There are tasks to do.  You need to eat something.  You need to go to the bathroom.  Sometimes, you need to rest.  As Habit moves forward, all these things also happen as they do in life. 

I had an acting teacher in college by the name of Saskia Hecht.  She was on the more experimental side (if we ever meet at SNM, remind me to tell you about her exercises where we were told to “concentrate on the soles of our feet”. Oy).  She had two rules in her improvisational acting class.  1) You are not allowed to say “no” to your fellow performers.  2) There are many ways to Rome.  That, to me, is how the performers function in this play.  As the cycles progress it is fascinating to watch them do it repeatedly but never the same way twice.  I stayed for three full cycles but you can certainly stay for all 8 hours (the play, depending on the timing, is between 1 – 1 ½ hours).  I’m sure things get quite rough and crazy by the end of the day.  I might have to go back this weekend to see what it’s like at night towards the final three cycles.

While watching Habit does have a voyeuristic quality, it is not the same feeling created within an SNM performance.  The actors never catch your gaze but occasionally another audience member may look at you with a curious smile as if to say, “Can I peek in too?”  Although there was one man at today’s performance who any time he thought one of the characters was going to use the toilet, he ran to the window to watch (I guess he wanted to see if they were actually going to the bathroom as opposed to just experiencing a cheap thrill).  During the cycles I observed, none of the actors was much of an exhibitionist so curtains and doors were closed to those events but the sound effects were all natural (no number 2’s when I was there – I’m sure that must be a rule somewhere – just like when you are riding the bus or sharing a dressing room).

If you want a new kind of theatrical experience, go see Habit.

If you are a performer and want a great lesson in acting, go see Habit.

If you are a Sleep No More addict like me and want to give your bank account a rest, go see Habit.  Also, the play is Halloween themed so maybe you’ll get a few costume ideas out of it for Carnival Corbeaux!

IT’S FREE!!