Ice

Performance

Performance Duration: 30 minutes
Materials for Performance:

Some audience still holding the ice and stayed in the box after 5 minutes

Pre-prepared cocktails with plenty of ice

Pitchers full of mixed cocktails with fruit and ice

Containers containing ice cubes to add to the glasses of cocktails

Snacks and food
Scene 1: The Arrival

Maaike welcomes the audience at the door and invites them into the black box.

The audience is given glasses filled with cocktails and ice as they gather on the upper
floor.

They start descending the stairs, holding their cocktails and enter the party on the
lower floor.

I dance with the audience as soon as they enter, while loud music fills the space.

The audience enjoys their cocktails, holding ice cubes, chatting, and immersing
themselves in the atmosphere.
Scene 2: Audition for Kian

At the 16th minute, the performer, who has already descended from the audience,
begins their audition for a boy who was killed in Iran.

The performer narrates a part of Kian’s life and the stories surrounding his tragic
death.

As the performer stands in the center of the hall, the disco lights change to a white
general light, and the music fades.

The performer taps their glass to get the audience’s attention.
Performer: “I am standing here to give a toast to Kian…”
Scene 3: Toast to Kian
Performer: “Let’s raise our glasses for Kian! To Kian!”

The audience raises their glasses and drinks in unison.
Performer: “He was a 9-year-old boy, one of the 200 Iranian children killed during the
uprising in Iran. On the 16th of November, in Izdeh, Khuzestan, he was shot by several war
bullets while driving home with his father.”
Scene 4: Remembering Kian’s Dreams
Performer: “Here’s a toast to the boy who dreamt of becoming an inventor!”

The audience raises their glasses and drinks.
Scene 5: Tribute to Kian’s Mother
Performer: “I also want to make another toast to Kian’s mother.”

The audience raises their glasses and drinks.
Performer: “She could not give her son’s body to the authorities because she feared the
unknown fate of the bodies. So she kept his small lifeless body at home for a whole night,
placing ice next to him.”

The performer shares the poignant details of Kian’s mother’s actions.
Scene 6: The Ritual for Mental Health

The performer improvises about his emotional response to the news and his
subsequent efforts to protect his mental health.

He explains the importance of the upcoming ritual to maintain mental well-being.

Bowls filled with black latex gloves are placed in front of the audience.

The performer and I, who have been in the hall the whole time, guide the audience to
put on the gloves.

The performer emphasizes the significance of using non-touch gloves for mental
health preservation.
Scene 7: The Melting Ice Ritual

Once all the gloves are worn, the performer stands in the center of the audience circle.

The audience is invited by the performer to remove the ice cubes from their glasses
and hold them in their hands until they melt.

The performer enters the crowd as the audience holds the melting ice in the shape of
an open or fallen distant ring.

The sound of water drops and small pieces of ice falling on the ground fills the space.
Scene 8: Closure

After 10 minutes, I throw away the ice and remove my gloves, leading the way to the
exit.

Following me, the performer repeats the action, signaling the end of the show.