Adelaide, prepare to be spellbound when Brink Productions’ multi-award-winning production of When The Rain Stops Falling, by Andrew Bovell, returns to Adelaide this October for five shows only.
Directed by Chris Drummond When The Rain Stops Falling takes audiences on an unforgettable journey, from a claustrophobic London flat, to the windswept coast of South Australia and into the heart of the Australian desert, tracing a familial story of what we do to each other, what we do to the planet and the legacy we leave behind.
It's Alice Springs in the year 2039. A fish falls from the sky and lands at the feet of Gabriel York. It still smells of the sea. It's been raining for days and Gabriel knows something is wrong. Eighty years earlier, his grandfather, Henry Law predicted that, in 2039, fish would fall from the sky heralding a great flood that would overcome the human race. When The Rain Stops Falling spans two continents, 80 years and four generations of one family in an epic piece of theatrical storytelling.
"The success of this production has been overwhelming," said Chris Drummond, Brink Productions' Artistic Director.
"We knew that we had an amazing story to tell, so for audiences everywhere to embrace it so wholeheartedly has been really marvellous. It really left people wanting more. It will make you laugh and cry and gasp out loud. When The Rain Stops Falling is a story that captures the collective dreaming of a group of artists and profoundly communicates that dream to its audience."
After its Adelaide-based world premiere and a hit season during the Adelaide Bank Festival of the Arts in 2008, When the Rain Stops Falling went on to win a swathe of local and national awards. Brink’s celebrated production has been seen and loved by more than 56,000 people throughout the nation. New productions of the Brink-commissioned script were produced by Almeida Theatre in London in 2009 as well as Lincoln Center Theater in New York and Silo Theatre in Auckland during 2010. It will have it first foreign language premiere in Germany in December 2010.
Sadly, illness has forced original cast members and much-loved and respected Adelaidean actors, Paul Blackwell and Michaela Cantwell to withdraw from this final season of Brink's production. Kevin Harrington and Mandy McElhinney will take over the roles of Joe Ryan and Elizabeth Law (the younger), joining Carmel Johnson, Kris McQuade, Yalin Ozucelik, Anna Lise Phillips, Neil Pigot and musician Quentin Grant. The Lowdown team wishes Paul and Michaela the very best, and looks forward to their return to our stage.
Following the Adelaide season Brink’s production of When The Rain Stops Falling will be presented in Brisbane by Queensland Theatre Company, in Canberra by Canberra Theatre Centre and end the tour and the life of Brink’s production with two performance in Alice Springs, presented by Araluen Arts Centre.
When The Rain Stops Falling will play at Her Majesty's Theatre from 14 October to 16 October 2010 with one preview only on 13 October. Live captioning will be provided on Friday 15 October for deaf and hearing-impaired patrons. Tickets are available through the BASS website or on 131 246.