"A Mortician Walks Into a Bar..."

Reciting "On the Shortness of Life"—Seneca's classical treatise on death—a Comic maintains the performative techniques, rhythms, and mannerisms of stand-up comedy. Caught between her Stoic duty to remain true to the text and her Epicurean impulses to follow the pleasure of the riff, the Comic (Sandra Battaglini) tries to sustain her performative energy in an empty room. As she relays Seneca’s philosophy of life, she “dies” onstage with each unanswered quip.

Commissioned for Umbrella Projects by Owens Art Gallery. and Struts Gallery.