theatre When the Rain by lisa lipsey
EVEN IF THEY DON’T REALIZE IT.”
ING AND EXAMINES HOW PEOPLE ARE INTERCONNECTED,
IT HAS A RADICAL, REDEMPTIVE END-
THIS PLAY HAS HAUNTED ME…
Award-winning, international theatre, film and television writer, Andrew Bovell, has quite a story to tell. When the Rain Stops Falling begins in Alice Springs, Australia in the year 2039. A fish falls from the sky and lands at the feet of Gabriel York; it’s been raining for days and Gabriel knows something is wrong. Fifty years earlier, his grandfather, Henry Law, predicts that fish will fall from the sky heralding a great flood, which will end life on earth as we know it. Rob Lutfy, associate artistic director at Cygnet has
taken on directing this powerful, multi-layered story that spans four generations and two continents. When the Rain Stops Falling explores patterns of betrayal,
abandonment, destruction, forgiveness and love, as the past plays out into the future. “I have wanted to do this show for three or four years now and finding it was one of
those lucky times,” Lutfy says. “I was working at the Kennedy Center when my boss handed me the script, I sat down to read it at a café and as a reader I was locked in and engaged immediately. The show is about mothers, fathers and damage, love, hope, heal- ing and how to survive. It was an ugly cry for me in that café, in public and a lot of laughter too. This play has haunted me… it has a radical, redemptive ending and examines how people are interconnected, even if they don’t realize it. Every line is an echo of something else. I am impressed with the economy of Bovell’s writing. Fortunately Sean Murray (Cygnet Artistic Director) loved it just as much and took a risk to produce it.” Lutfy has been a visionary from an early age, “When I was in high school, I was into
visual arts. Then when I was student at DePaul, I took acting classes. Eventually, I accepted that I had the vision and wanted responsibility for the whole production and that I was gifted at it because I have respect for the actors and other collaborators in the room. They are smart and brilliant people and my job is to help them do the best work of their lives. We are just into rehearsals and I can tell you, the cast of When the Rain Stops Falling
44 RAGE monthly | JANUARY 2016
is amazing. They continuously pull from their emotional wells and that is a sacrifice; I call them athletes of the heart.” When asked if there is a distinctive style to his directing, Lutfy offered this, “I like characters to be real and honest on stage. The interactions are really more important than the broader set and costumes. Authenticity is what speaks to my heart as an audi- ence member.” Perhaps his real mark as director is in asking for the audience to journey with him into new territories. Lutfy last directed Cygnet’s The Motherf**ker with the Hat, which he equates to a fast paced dog chase. When the Rain Stops Falling is a very different journey.
“This story moves in a gentle, funny way across
Stops Falling DIRECTOR ROB LUTFY AND THE BRILLIANCE OF WORDS
time from 1959 – 2039 and in the transitions, there is also storytelling.” Lutfy continues, “For audiences, I encourage them to feel the water [metaphor] in the play, let it wash over you. The show starts with five seemingly disconnected scenes. Don’t try to piece it all together, you will get it soon enough. It isn’t linear, but trust the actors and myself to take care of you, to help you discover the connections,” notes Lutfy. As with any cutting-edge endeavor, says Lutfy,
“This show is a great challenge, it is humor-filled and meaningful. In addition to the multiple genera- tions, it points to global warming, as well. One of my favorite lines from the show is, ‘It takes more than a spot of rain to silence the human mind.’ I love that reminder, humanity has so much potential, so much creativity.”
When the Rain Stops Falling runs Thursday, January 14 through Sunday, February 14 at Cygnet Theatre in Old Town. (Cygnet notes that it is rated PG-13 for violent references and sexual themes.) For tickets and more information, call 619.337.1525 or go to
cygnettheatre.com.
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