THE VANISHING OASIS. 12 men (2 non-speaking); 3 women (one non-speaking). A single, simple set, reflecting a spot in an urban city park. Two benches, one off-center left and one off-center right, form an A-frame towards upstage center. A wire mesh wastebasket is in between the benches. A drinking fountain is stage right. A sign on the fountain reads: No H2O. On a wooden box or platform center stage stands the statue Percival. In “The Vanishing Oasis,” a city park statue of Percival, a famous white hunter dressed in a safari outfit, comes to life during the day and mingles among the passersby, engaging them in conversation and reflecting on major life issues. Putting his ear to the ground, he begins his day by listening to the thundering hooves of the wildebeest making their migration across the Serengeti, actually the sounds of the city coming to life: traffic, busses, sirens, gun shots, and trains. We witness the wide range of people Percival meets, eavesdrop on his conversations with them and their observations and interactions with him. From a pimp, a drug dealer, and a biker to three college student protesters and a young, frustrated woman, Percival listens, reacts, shares, and pontificates, relishing the opportunity to enlighten others about man’s encroachment and destruction of nature for the sake of progress and civilization.