All of us were present at our birth, but how much of it do you actually remember?

Chances are, you don’t recall a thing about it. No matter what age you are reading this review at, it is so far removed from your consciousness that you probably can’t even fathom remembering it. Hell, sometimes I have trouble remembering what I had for lunch.

However, you can experience birth again, if you’re brave enough to do so, in Screenshot Productions’ newest show, Parturition.

Much like their October offering, Screenshot Productions (and its creator Nicholas Sherwin Jr) have created something new and unique. While their Fear Is What We Learned Here was about living in and waking up from an ethereal dream, Parturition is all about being born. It plays on the fear of a newborn child as they go through their initial steps of life.

What is unique about this show is that you have two options of how you can experience it. There is the ‘theatrical’ birth, which is your standard walk through, in which you go through the experience as you would any other. However, they make sure to state that there is no guarantee your birth would not be without complications. The second option was a ‘natural’ birth, a more intense option that, just like in real life, you will be delivered without your clothes.

Yes, you read that correctly. You can go through Parturition naked.

Being the brave soul that I am, of course I chose the ‘natural’ option. How could I not? I wanted to have the most authentic birth experience possible, and wasn’t going to let a silly thing like clothing get in my way.

As I exited the show, I felt that I had made the right choice. But I’ll get to that in a minute.

While I don’t want to give spoilers away, I will say this; if you went to their October offering, you’ll know what to expect, up until a certain point. Then, things change drastically, and turn a concept that I was used to into something frightening and new.

Upon arriving at the location at my designated time (once again, not a minute before and not a minute after), I entered the door and was met by a bright light in my face. I was asked to read and sign the wavier, while my choice of a ‘natural’ birth was confirmed. I was asked to remove my clothing, and handed each piece into waiting arms.

Now, I don’t know about you guys, but I’m not the most comfortable with my body. I’m a super skinny dude, and it sometimes makes me feel insecure. However, one of the main reasons I do these immersive experiences is to see how far I can push myself, emotionally and psychologically, before I meet my limit. So, while yes, I was a bit uncomfortable disrobing, despite being in near darkness, the greeter at the door made a point to sign his light away from me and turn his head to give me a modest feeling of comfort. While that changed later on in the show, it did help an awful lot for the start. Granted, my privates were still out in the open, and I still sort of held them to shield myself at first, but by the end of the experience, I didn’t even care. I was a newborn man, and they were as free as the wind!

Anyway, after stripping down and handing over my possessions, I was turned down a short hallway, made of the requisite black garbage bags, before stopping in front of, what I thought was, a wall. It was here that a voice began to whisper things about birth in my ears, before placing headphones over them for the accompanying music track. I was pushed toward the wall, which turned out to be a tunnel, coated with…something…and began my birthing process.

Again, while I won’t divulge exact specifics here, I will say that what starts as something comforting and familiar quickly turns into something unexpected. It really never occurred to me before, but the birthing process, and the minutes and hours after it, are extremely frightening for a newborn. You are taken, sometimes violently, from a place of warmth and comfort, and thrust into this bright, scary, new world. Gigantic beings hover around as they snip and poke at you, and often, you are too new to fully see or hear or even process what is going on.

This is what Parturition does, and does extremely well. It creates this simulation so well that I often reminded myself during it that I was not, indeed, a newborn. However, you ARE treated like a baby the entire time, shuffled from place to place, laid on tables, examined by medical personnel, and quite literally, led by the hand into your life.

One of the things I love about Screenshot Productions’ shows is how much they do with so little. It was strikingly beautiful, and there wasn’t a whole hell of a lot of set design (save for a piece at the end that had me doing a double take of “wait, where am I again?”). But when you create an experience as deep and rich as this, you don’t NEED a lot. The feelings and emotions that it invokes are more than enough. The actors deftly handle you through their space, and the dialogue, when there is some, is perfectly executed. Of particular note is a monologue toward the end that was especially moving and thought provoking.

I do have one caveat, though, which is a minor quibble. Closer to the end of the show, there is a lengthy interlude that, in my opinion, kills some of the momentum of everything that came before it. It’s a similar device they used in their last show, though that time it began the experience, and here, it’s toward the end. While it works to a certain point, it felt a little too long. While a point can be made that it served a purpose in showing another part of the newborn child learning process, for me, it went on a minute or two longer than I would have liked. That said, it’s a very minor quibble, and in no way takes away from the rest of the show, especially because said section contains a fantastic song. In fact, it’s followed immediately by the monologue I mentioned earlier, which all but made me forget about it until I sat down to write this review.

Also, since I just spoke about the music, it’s also worth mentioning that this show is packed with fantastic sound design. Their first show pleasantly surprised me with how music driven it was, and Parturition is no exception. The curated licensed music fits perfectly into everything, and the original music by Chance Jones (the hardest working man in show business) is amazing. I don’t know how the hell they keep finding these wonderful songs, but I sure hope it continues for future shows as well.

By now you are probably wondering “Yeah, this is great and all, but let’s get back to the naked thing. Does it make a difference in the show?”

In my opinion, the answer is a resounding yes. While it definitely is a good gimmick to go along with the theme of birth, it also had added effects that I hadn’t considered until I began my experience. It really did make me feel exposed and vulnerable, because I was my purest self, out there for all to see. I was a newborn, completely bare, and unable to know what was coming around the next bend, and having to just go with the flow. It enhanced every bit of it, and made me hyper aware that, yes, you are born naked and unknowing about what is about to come at you in life. As much as you try to shield it, you are exposed, both physically and mentally.

Overall, Parturition is a beautifully moving piece, and one that I highly recommend. Much like with Fear Is What We Learned Here, do not go into it expecting scares around every bend. While there are frightening moments, it’s more about the emotions that it makes you feel. It’s a wonderfully done experience, and definitely the type of immersive theater that people like me crave.

Kudos to Nicholas, Screenshot Productions, and the rest of the team for putting on another fantastic show.

Parturition runs from January 28th through 31st only, so I suggest you grab a ticket now to experience your birth this weekend. You don’t want to miss out on this show. Really. It’s wonderful.

You can purchase tickets at www.whatwelearnedhere.com

EDITOR’S NOTE: This is Jeff’s review of Parturition. Norm also went through, and will be posting his own thoughts as well. Stay tuned for that!