Photo by Alexandra Stiller-Moldovan

Too Dirty to Clean is a filth-obsessed satire of the messy logic of purity and cleanliness.  Performed using cleaning and disciplinary tools, a beleaguered cleaner tries to restore order to a room as the mess and the implements takes on a life of their own. Cleanliness takes on a brand-new shiny veneer of filth and fun that playfully shadows and critiques our narratives of addiction while revealing the complex experience of ongoing recovery.

Puppeteer/performer brawk hessel has utilized their lived experience as a house cleaner and a recovering addict – who is now “clean” and sober – to create this twisted, antic-filled examination of the ever-incomplete process of cleaning up our act. Combining elements of object theatre, installation, clown and performance art, the audience is invited into the age-old question, “Who made this big mess?”

Ann Powell (she/her): prop design consultant and mentor
brawk hessel (they/them): performer and creator
Brigitte Head (she/her): active listener
Harri Thomas (they/them): director & dramaturg
Nathaniel Hanula James (they/he): dramaturg
Nic “murr” Murray (he/him): sound design
Robin Leveroos (she/her): design and puppet manipulation consultant