Told through the interconnected stories of two families over four generations; between a prediction in London 1959 and its outcome in Australia eighty years later, Theatre Works and Iron Lung Theatre bring Andrew Bovell’s multi award-winning play, When the Rain Stops Falling back to the Melbourne stage this July.
Alice Springs, 2039. A fish falls from the sky. It’s been raining for days, the apocalypse moves ever closer and Gabriel York know something is wrong. And so begins this epic sprawling drama, where fish fall from the sky, a daughter inherits a secret and where the rain never stops.
Taking place between two worlds, When the Rain Stops Falling reaches from the claustrophobia of a small flat in rainy London in 1959 to the windswept coast of South Australia and beyond, following the journey of Gabriel Law as he retraces his father’s footsteps, desperately attempting to solve the mystery of his disappearance.
“Andrew Bovell has an incredible way of making the everyday reach out and touch us in an extraordinary way. And this play does that…” explains Iron Lung’s Director Briony Dunn. “It’s vast and complex and weaves a spell on a grand scale from squished London flats to rolling oceans and sweeping deserts, where Bovell uses the weather like a tenth character.
“What theatre does so well – and this play is a gorgeous example – is it lifts the audience and takes them to that magical realm only plays like this can. In many ways too this play has come into its own. It’s more relevant now than when it was first written in 2008.”
Founded in 2018 by NIDA graduates Esther van Doornum and Briony Dunn, Iron Lung is a Melbourne-based independent theatre company producing classic and contemporary text-based work. Their inaugural show night, Mother by Marsha Norman received both critical and audience acclaim.
Cancelled in 2020 due to COVID-19 restrictions, they now return to the stage at Melbourne’s much-loved Theatre Works with a powerful, layered production that promises to be a definite highlight on the 2021 Victorian Arts Calendar.
“A bold and sensitive play… exudes a sense of wonder and mystery. Shrewd and sharp and genuinely moving.” – The Times
Director: Briony Dunn | Featuring: Heather Bolton, Lucie Chaix, Esther van Doornum, Francis Greenslade, Darcy Kent, Margaret Mills, Alex Pinder | Lighting Design: Clare Springett | Sound Design: Darrin Verhagen | Set Design: Greg Clarke | Costume Design: Betty Auhl | Movement Director: Cory Derrick | Production Manager: Julia Landberg | Stage Manager: Natasha Marich | Associate Artists: Stephanie Ghajar, Kimberley Heberley
When the Rain Stops Falling
Theatre Works, 14 Acland Street, St Kilda
Season: 14 – 31 July 2021 (preview: 12 July)
Information and Bookings: www.theatreworks.org.au
Image: Francis Greenslade features in When The Rain Stops Falling – photo by Josh Wayn