Stormwater: Life in the gutter

Curious about what happens to stormwater once it runs down into the city’s gutters? It may sound like a snoozer (at least for me, I got a “C” in Aquatic Pollution in college), but I get the feeling that Stokley Towles’ one man performance, Stormwater: Life in the Gutter, provides an interesting, if not downright funny perspective as to what goes on deep within the bowels of our beloved city (ponder whether beavers should be on the city’s payroll? That’s damn funny!) You can catch his performance for free at the Good Shepherd (4649 Sunnyside Avenue North) tomorrow night (Wednesday, October 19) at 6:30pm. Here’s what we got from the city’s Office of Arts and Cultural Affairs:

The rains are coming. Uncover the world of urban rainfall and trace its travels from the clouds to the city’s streets, homes and businesses and the sewer lines below in Stormwater: Life in the Gutter, a one-man performance written and performed by Stokley Towles, who will present the free performance at various venues across the city, Oct. 19 to Nov. 12.

Towles’ nearly one-hour piece is part performance, part exhibition offering a gutter’s eye view of Seattle’s drainage system and the Seattle Public Utilities’ (SPU) employees who guide, monitor and maintain stormwater flow in the city.

Meet Ellen, a gutter detective. Find out what a floating river is and meet James who observes them. Learn about John’s trips into the bowels of the city and what he finds there. Ponder whether beavers should be on the city’s payroll. Discover who tracks toxins before they poison Lake Union.

Towles weaves interviews, observations and historical research together with images and props to talk about runoff in a humorous and illuminating fashion, revealing the world of drainage and stormwater and the people who manage its flow.