Stokley Towles. Photo by John J. Little Sr.

Travel to the underbelly of the city with Stokley Towles as he continues his one-man performance Stormwater: Life in the Gutter at different locations around the city. Catch the free performance tonight at 6:30 p.m. at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center or at noon, Sat. Nov. 5 at Ballard Library.

The performances continue this month, with a newly added performance at noon, Friday, Nov. 25 at Carkeek Park Environmental Learning Center during the annual salmon run. From 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., salmon stewards will be available to answer questions, and there will be crafts and snacks.

Go here for the full schedule and locations of Stormwater: Life in the Gutter.

Towles traces the flow of sewage and stormwater by weaving interviews, observations and historical research together with humor. The nearly one-hour piece entertains and gives a gutter’s eye view of Seattle’s drainage and sewer system and the Seattle Public Utilities‘ (SPU) employees who guide, monitor and maintain stormwater flow in the city.

Read about Towles’ performance on the KCTS 9 website, in the West Seattle Herald and Real Change, and listen to radio reports on KPLU and KIRO.

Stormwater: Life in the Gutter is the third in a series of performance pieces Towles has created in partnership with SPU. In 2010, he investigated garbage and its role in the lives of those who generate and collect it in Trash Talk. In 2009, he traced the flow of the city’s water supply in Waterlines.

The performance is commissioned by the Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs with SPU 1% for Art funds in partnership with 4Culture.