Oceanus
There’s something especially omnipotent and massive about Oceanus, primordial god of the ocean and all rivers and streams. He maintains and controls the massive, mystical river Okeanos. Dubbed the “girdle that circles the world,” this stream that runs the circumference of the planet also feeds all streams and is the channel by which the sun and moon make their daily journey. Oceanus’ realm feels both concrete and fluid, it’s an actual river the spans the globe, but also it’s all rivers, all water, really. By being the conduit for the sun and the moon, his currents empower Time itself. Also of interest, is his history as one of the few Titans that didn’t plot against Uranus or the battle against the Olympians, he is a uniquely neutral power. Earth encompassing, enabler of the mechanism of time, yet his power remains unbiased towards any given interest.
In their interpretation of Oceanus, Dan Hirsch and Siyu Song would explore a modern “girdle that circles the world,” something that feels limitless in its range, but also a very real and massive physical presence. It has no particular bias but has tremendous power. The modern Okeanos: a gigantic ocean floor submarine fiber optic cable that provide the telecommunications network that connects modern civilization. The heroes of the play: two underwater fiber-optic cable repair workers. We follow these two on their routine, but somewhat harrowing, journey in a deep sea vessel to the bottom of the ocean floor where they’ve been tasked to investigate the mysterious rupture of one cable somewhere at the foot of the Pacific Ocean.
OCEANUS by Dan Hirsch and Siyu Song
Directed by Sara Staley
Staged Reading on November 20, 2015
Siyu and Dan are both Olympian veterans (Patroclus and Thersites in 2013, and Nephele in 2014). A Bay Area native Siyu currently works at Industrial Light and Magic. He’s an active member of San Francisco’s improv comedy scene via Endgames Improv. Dan comes from Massachusetts, when he’s not writing plays about primordial Ocean gods, he’s a reporter and editor for the local news site Mission Local.