A, B and C are performed by female dancers.
D is written for a male dancer.

The show premiered at Space Upstairs, Project Arts Centre on September 11, 2009.
Directed, Written and Choreographed by Fitzgerald & Stapleton
The creation of Starvin’ was supported by An Comhairle Ealaion/Arts Council

Performers on opening night;
A Sarah Chaumette
B Áine Stapleton
C Emma Fitzgerald
D Jan Ritsema

Four dance artists wearing footwear only (footwear choice at the artist’s discretion) and one clothed musician in clothes of her choice are on-stage as the audience enter the theatre.
The stage is in black out and the performers are seated on four plain benches – matched to the colour of the space and arranged as follows on the edges of the stage; two stage left and two stage right.

A can sit on any bench.
B is seated on the upstage right bench.
C is seated on the downstage left bench.
D can sit on any bench.
The musician can sit on any bench.

Prologue
C) She enters from her place on the downstage right bench and travels along a curving path representing free-love and freedom. Each step she takes prepares her to taste approximately three thousand joys. This path travels in a wide arc upstage, along the periphery of the entire stage and ends with the performer standing facing where she once began; extreme stage right.

D) During C‘s journey and at D‘s own discretion he rises from his bench, looks at C and sits down again. When C has nearly reached the end of her curved path, he rises again and this time his entry takes him downstage to where he stands parallel with C and extends his arm towards her back.

C) She turns around.

D & C) They stand facing each other, looking at each other.

D) He bows to C.

C) She bows in answer to D then moves towards him. Her steps are almost floating.

D) He kisses one of C‘s hands.

C & D) They study each other’s faces with their eyes.

D) He lifts C so that her feet lift off the ground for a moment, then puts her down and begins to move upstage.

C) She hits D with her hair and gestures extravagantly with her legs as they travel in a direct line upstage left.

C & D) They bend down so that they occupy space no higher than the height of their own hips for a moment.

C & D) They stand up, travel along a zig–zagging path which takes them far downstage left, D controls and supports the direction of C‘s travelling with his hands

C) She faces up-stage and takes tip-toed tireless steps along a peaceful and straight path, crossing from stage left to stage right staying parallel with the edge of the stage. When she reaches the bench she sits down.

D) He faces stage right– proceeds along the same straight path as C – each step is stamped with authority.

A) She stands up and travels all over the stage her voice is buzzing with excitement and her whole body making celebratory movements. Just beginning with finishing touches and royal rushes she creates one million shimmering bright touches. She enters touch entirely with each touch. She supplements this action with a light gaze all around the stage. She orchestrates the light, sound and her presence in the space to make way for the entrance of B.

B) She enters from the most extreme end of the up-stage left bench, striding rigidly and without desire in a spiralling passage which begins by travelling along the periphery of the far upstage edge and travelling gradually towards the centre. She is accompanied by a failed acquaintance with her own desires. She is endlessly recreated in hollow spaces as she travels, taken by surprise with moments of extra-special rejoicing.

A) From the moment of B‘s entrance and through-out B‘s spiral A is alive with movement and producing a swell of music. As B approaches the centre of the space there is a growing silence simultaneous to the swell of music. When B reaches centre-stage A ceases all sound and movement instantly.

A & B) They are united in the instant of A‘s resumption of movement. This union continues as both engage in a series of preparatory motions designed to prevent extinction whilst at the same time recognising their inevitable mortality. Each step of the collaboration takes A off-stage in a direct line towards the nearest bench space where she will sit down.

B) She stands still in the middle of it all, talking to no-one, sighing.

C) She takes tip-toed tireless steps along a peaceful and slender arc, disappearing off it upstage right in her own cry, a cry which gathers darkness.

B) At some point B looks at C as she travels this path (above).

B) As soon as C has sat down B instantly and with extreme athleticism runs along a twisty path in the downstage half of the stage. Her eyes are turned upwards, bestowing the status of femininity on everything she sees. Her arms are bent at the elbows and occasionally paddle back and forth as she runs. B continues to run until she stands flatly and darkly, watching and waiting in the downstage left corner of the stage.

C) She takes tip-toed tireless steps along a peaceful path – she is formless and devoid of sex. She breathes hard through the echo of darkness until her face becomes visible. When she reaches where she once began she sits straight-backed and stiff in the damp, heavy atmosphere of her inner-swamp.

B & C) As B‘s eyes say “closer” C‘s feet lift off the ground. They begin to zoom with soft-focus towards downstage centre. During the zoom B keeps his movements soft and gentle.

C) She speaks with ease and with a normal level of volume, offering an autobiographical snatch of sexual history for all to hear clearly.

B) She replies with the single word “Cool”.

C) She keeps her eyes lowered, glancing up at him to check her reflection in his eyes.

B&C) They look at each other with eyes of love, their faces are expressionless – melted in a mask of ecstasy.

C) She rides with her mind as she moves her head gently towards her skin.

B) B & C‘s feet are stuck to the floor where they stand, as B wraps her arms protectively around C until she feels that C can trust her.

B&C) Immediately they begin passing to and fro- their movements are silent and precise.

D) He is darkness moving in the corner. Pride pumps in him like poison.

B&C) They continue the soundless and exquisite passing to and fro. B monitors C.

D) He makes a single sound and movement towards C, the sound is bare and precise, the movement is vivid and concentrated. The overall impression implies a 5:1 ratio of disturbance to simplicity.

C) His sound enters her like a fatal illness. She performs a shabby ambling waltz on its echo, losing her previous womanly form bit by bit and exiting the stage.

B) She stands alert and undisturbed in the middle of nowhere.

C) She takes tip-toed tireless steps along a peaceful and slender arc, disappearing off it upstage right in her own cry, a cry which gathers darkness, and sits down.

B) She travels without revealing direction directly towards extreme upstage left and sits down.

E) The musician performs his/her short musical interlude in a stage space of their choice.

B) He is dancing dutifully. He occasionally bends his knee, simultaneously reproducing the sound of a concertina. His upper body temperature is higher than 100.4 °F.

A) She is dancing dutifully, covering every inch of the stage in a dance referencing Hungary, Poland, Spain and Italy.

A&B) They momentarily and repeatedly connect by holding hands – these are mismatched hands and not suited for this intimate act.

C&D) They enter with a sparkling and joyful demeanour, holding hands.

D) He stands in a flat and dark manner, watching and waiting.

C) She dances around the stage – she is aware of her private capitulation to D‘s control and believes this makes her desirable.

B&C) They meet in a swirl.

B&C) Their hands are connected. At some point they assume the position of the dancers in the show’s flyer.

D) He makes a noise in a voice that sounds like a caress.

B) She makes an answering noise.

A,B&D) They are all mortally still. Time is not an issue for A,B&D which allows C temporal freedom to do what is necessary.

C) Within the dream of a weightless choreography she travels upstage on a slender arching path with exquisitely precise steps.

D) Matching her for timing, he crawls downstage and finds an uncomfortable kneeling position.

C) She assumes a pose reminiscent of a beaten woman, she exposes her right hand and clutches her side with her left hand.

D) He sings a wordless and spontaneous ode to time.

C) She reverses her journey cancelling her path by means of minute hand movements keeping her back to the audience. She resumes her previous pose beside B with the greatest subtlety and economy of motion.

D) He makes a noise in a beautiful voice that sounds like a caress.

B) He speeds as fast as he can along a circular path in the upstage left corner, feet barely touching the ground. He attempts to maintain stillness from the thighs up to the top of the head as he runs, his hands and arms are held long and tight by his sides. He offers spontaneous snippets of knowledge on any and all topics.

C) She feels that B‘s actions are unbalancing the atmosphere and proceeds downstage centre, with a deadened sense of her own hopeless flesh. She ejects a small amount of fluid from her body (it is at the performer’s discretion whether to urinate, spit, etc).

B) He notices when C has deposited this fluid and approaches her without hesitation, cornering like he’s on rails. He stands parallel to C. His arms raise straight overhead. He glances down at the pool of body fluid and then into C‘s eyes. Then his eyes return to and remain on the pool of body fluid.

C) She assumes a pose reminiscent of a beaten woman, she exposes her right hand and clutches her side with her left hand and turns her eyes towards the audience as she stands singing about love.

B) He unabashedly bawls his eyes out and begins to spit out half-broken words describing what is in his heart.

C) She swallows his words and silence.

B&C) They remain in this exchange until the arrival of D between them.

D) He rocks violently from side to side like a metronome as he travels to stand between B and C. He stands over C, carrying out a minute scrutiny of her body and spontaneously and without hesitation or remorse describing in song or speech what he sees.

B&C) They travel directly to the bench nearest them via a series of seated postures, vaguely reminiscent of fashion model poses. There is a subtle yet arrhythmic continuity to the sequence of poses. The moments of movement and stillness are equally important. When B&C get to the bench they sit down without hesitation and hold up three fingers.

A,B&C) They count thirteen minutes off on their fingers, defining the time that D spends in his solo. The hands are visible to the audience.

D) He performs a solo dance which ascertains the end of the piece in 12 or 13 minutes – the passage of time is monitored and displayed by A,B and C who count down minutes on their fingers. It is an epic yet informal dance, a masculine triumph colonising space and time. D is arresting and overriding the attention of all who behold him. At times he bobs his head and smiles like a meerkat towards specific audience members. In the third quarter of the solo he deploys a series of reclining seated positions – feeling himself to be enthroned on the entire stage space he maximises the amount of space he commands. As the final minutes approach he vibrates and trembles and behaves in a half-flamboyant manner. There are moments when he bends over sharply so that his torso is remarkably parallel to the stage floor. Overall his primary objective is to unapologetically indulge his fancy through-out the dance. As soon as he notices that A, B & C have finished the count-down on their fingers he dances from the stage and sits on a bench.

A,B,C,D&E) When all artists are seated on benches the lights fade down to black in the theatre.