I had the delightful opportunity to see the play, Small Mouth Sounds, put on by the Stark Naked Theatre Company, this weekend. Yes, there was some nudity. And drugs. And a sex scene.

Now get your mind out of the gutter. It was tasteful. Kinda. To be honest, I actually liked it and resonated with the storyline. The plot revolves around six people who attend a week-long silent spiritual retreat somewhere in the woods. Outside of the voice of the “guru” whose voice is pipped in, there is very little speaking.

Given the conspicuous lack of words, the character development was pretty impressive. There is a lesbian couple with relationship issues, a recovering alcoholic, a man who lost a son, a free-spirit yoga teacher, and a disorganized girl going through a breakup. Since there was little few words, the gestures and facial expressions of the cast had to be especially deliberate and intentional so as to not change the script. It’s deep. Just like the solace that the characters were all looking for.

To me, I felt like I was watching people go through an abbreviated version of yoga school or a high school retreat. There was the eclectic teacher. You set intentions for the week. There are days of silence. People have all sorts of breakdowns and releases of emotions. And incense. And nudity. Etc. Etc.

The show took place in Spring Street Studios, located in the First Ward, in an adorable little black box theater. It made for a intimate show and closeness with the cast. The cast largely consisted of people who had graduated with theater degrees from colleges in Houston. Pretty cool to way to spend the a Sunday afternoon and support the arts and local Houston culture.

Interested? 

General Admission is $29. Show runs until Sept 10 – Sept 26, 2015.

Spring Street Studios – 1824 Spring Street, Houston TX 77007