Sinking Ship Productions
presents
There Will Come Soft Rains
a science-fiction symphony in three acts
From stories by Ray Bradbury, Stanislaw Lem, and Bill Pronzini & Barry Malzberg
Adapted & Directed by Jonathan Levin
with the ensemble
there will come soft rains ran at the New York International Fringe Festival and the Barrow Street Theater in 2008.
ABOUT THE SHOW
Modern myths of creation and destruction.
Competing inventors, brilliant machines, dreams of the past and nightmares of the future.
Sinking Ship adapts three science fiction short stories—"How the World Was Saved" (Stanislaw Lem), "On the Nature of Time" (Bill Pronzini & Barry Malzberg), and "There Will Come Soft Rains" (Ray Bradbury)—into a visually stunning triptych, with bunraku-style and shadow puppetry, lightbulbs and water, actors and an upright bass.
there will come soft rains had its world premiere at the 2008 New York International Fringe Festival, where it played to sell-out crowds and rave reviews. The production won an award from the festival for "Outstanding Direction," and went on to play a five-performance extension at the Barrow Street Theatre.
Press
★★★★★
Critics Pick!
"Takes your breath away... Performed with ingenious simplicity, this poetic enactment of Bradbury's existentially spine-tingling tale is stunning!"
Critics Pick!
"Takes your breath away... Performed with ingenious simplicity, this poetic enactment of Bradbury's existentially spine-tingling tale is stunning!"
—Time Out New York
"Stake your claim to a ticket for this stunning adaptation of three great science fiction short stories.... I can easily proclaim this to be the best show I've seen in my Fringe-going experiences over the past two or three years."
—Liz Gorinsky, Tor.com
"A visually stunning work of theatre. Sinking Ship is most certainly a company to look out for."
—NYTheatre.com
"Levin's direction is sublime capturing the powerful, lingering images of each tale."
—Aaron Riccio, Theater Talk's New Theater Corps
Critics Pick!
"A haunting evening. Anyone interested in... high impact theater... should take this show in."
"A haunting evening. Anyone interested in... high impact theater... should take this show in."
—Backstage
"Soft Rains... truly astounds. This unearthly triptych captivates."
—American Theater Web
ADAPTED FROM
"How the World Was Saved," by Stanislaw Lem
"On the Nature of Time," by Bill Pronzini and Barry Malzberg
"There Will Come Soft Rains," by Ray Bradbury
CREDITS
Cast: Andrew Broaddus, Jesse Garrison, Lisa Maley, Clare McNulty, Joshua Morris, Mary Notari, Kendall Rileigh, Carolyn Usanis, Eric Wright
Producer: Josh Luxenberg
Set Design: Farah Ballentine Joyner
Lighting Design (New School): Mike McGee
Lighting Design (Barrow Street): Lara Terrell
Costume Design: Peiyi Wong
Sound Design: Spencer Russell
Video Design: Jesse Garrison & Spencer Russell
Puppet Design: Farah Joyner
Original Music Composed by: Joshua Morris
Stage Manager (New School): Micheline Heal
Stage Manager (Barrow Street): Kate J. Cudworth
HISTORY
there will come soft rains began development at Oberlin College, where an early version was presented in 2007. The show premiered in 2008 as Sinking Ship's debut production at the New York International Fringe Festival.
Production Photos: Josh Luxenberg & Marielle Solan