Specific Gravity Ensemble is…
Theatre beyond the norm. Polished, innovative unconventional shows performed in “found spaces”– factories, public squares, parks, homes, junk yards—environmental theatre is the mainstay of SGE’s work. This approach involves the audience in more than merely watching a performance from the complacent comfort of a theater seat. Rather, the SGE audience adventures into a space, immerses themselves into an entire environment primed for an event. In communing with the performance, they may discover something about themselves.
Specific Gravity is a Louisville-based collective of theatre artisans that produces adventurous professional-level productions with high standards of excellence. The entire spectrum of theatrical experience is our playground, but always played with a spirit of adventure and unpredictability that makes the very experience of “seeing” a play new for our audience. SGE is dedicated to the development of new dramatic works that explore the human condition and challenge the status quo.
What’s in a Name?
The really cool thing about the name is that it refers more to the audience than it does the company itself. It’s really about the give and take at the intersection where ensemble and audience members come together.
As we were discussing our company’s artistic mission, one member described the desired outcome of our productions as “…each audience member walking away with their own specific gravity.” “Specific gravity”, the term, as we understand it refers to a scientific method for gauging an object’s or substance’s relative mass or volume by measuring the amount of water that the object or substance displaces. As we consider the concept, audience members coming to see a Specific Gravity Ensemble production will each be unique, bringing a lifetime of experiences, thoughts, philosophies and opinions to the moment that they encounter an SGE event. Naturally, every individual will have a different reaction to our work, have their own unique “specific gravity” after coming into contact with Specific Gravity Ensemble.
That moment, when “specific gravity” was used to describe the effect of our artistic mission, we knew it was to be our name. It just resonated.