WE, Featuring Shadow Puppetry and Multimedia, to Have World Premiere at The Mark O'Donnell Theater Next Month

KEVIN RAY | WORKS will present eleven performances of “WE”, a theatrical adaptation of the banned dystopian novel by Russian author Yevgeny Zamyatin at The Mark O'Donnell Theater, 160 Schermerhorn St, Brooklyn, NY 11201, from October 11 to 20, 2024.

Live acting, shadow puppetry and video projections collide in this expressive production that vividly brings Zamyatin's dystopian allegory to life on stage.

Embark on a thrilling adventure with Yevgeny Zamyatin's ground-breaking 1920 novel that pioneered the dystopian genre and sparked iconic works like Orwell's “1984” and Huxley's “Brave New World.” Despite being banned by the Soviets, it was smuggled out of Russia and made its debut in the U.S. in 1924.

Journey 1,000 years into the future to the “One State”, a society governed by technological efficiency, mathematical logic, and the suppression of individuality. “WE” is the story of the chief engineer of a new space shuttle with a mission to spread the One State's authoritarian regime across the universe. The engineer's plans, perception of himself and the “mathematically perfect” state he reveres unravel when he meets a woman who dares to question the status quo.

WE is directed & adapted by Kevin Ray from the novel by Yevgeny Zamyatin
Devised in collaboration with Brian Aldous, Sangita Baruah, Ian Cramer, Matthew Deinhart, Jonathan Nathaniel Dingle-El, Rachel Fink, Robert A. K. Gonyo, Aaron Greenberg, Deb Hertzberg, Alyssa Korol, Crosby Lloyd, Ian McNally, Henry Menestrier, Nathan Reder, Sabra Shelly, John Teresi, Cassandra Umaña & Yang Yu

The creative team includes Director: Kevin Ray; Projection Design: Matthew Deinhart; Puppet Direction & Design: Deb Hertzberg; Costume Design: Alyssa Korol; Original Music: Ian McNally; Scenic Design: Yang Yu; Sound Design: Robert A. K. Gonyo; Lighting Design: Brian Aldous; Production Stage Manager: Henry Menestrier

The cast includes  Sangita Baruah, Ian Cramer,  Jonathan Nathaniel Dingle-El, Rachel Fink, Crosby Lloyd, Aaron Greenberg, Nathan Reder, Sabra Shelly, John Teresi, and Cassandra Umaña.

Performance Schedule

7:00 p.m. Friday, October 11
2:30 p.m. Saturday, October 12
7:00 p.m. Saturday, October 12
2:30 p.m. Sunday, October 13
7:00 p.m. Sunday, October 13
7:00 pm. Wednesday, October 16
7:00 p.m. Thursday, October 17
7:00 p.m. Friday, October 18
2:30 p.m. Saturday, October 19
7:00 p.m. Saturday, October 19
2:30 p.m. Sunday, October 20

at The Mark O'Donnell Theater at the Entertainment Community Fund Arts Center, 160 Schermerhorn St, Brooklyn, NY 11201

All tickets $35 general admission (includes Eventbrite fees)
Students - $10 off with promo code STUDENT
Seniors - $10 off with promo code SENIOR

RUNNING TIME: 2 hours, 25 minutes including one 15 minute intermission.

TICKETS: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/we-tickets-1006418844857

For more information, visit: https://www.kevinrayworks.com/we/

BIOGRAPHY

Kevin Ray is a Brooklyn based Generative Theater Artist, producing & directing original work in collaboration with actors & designers through KEVIN RAY | WORKS. He produced and directed “Unearthly Visitants” (2021), a devised play based on ghost stories by Edith Wharton and “The Machine Stops” (2023), a devised play based on the short story of the same name by E.M Forster. He has received grants to support his work from New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA), Brooklyn Arts Council, The Puffin Foundation and Foundation Against Intolerance & Racism (FAIR) in the Arts. Kevin's work has been written about in Greenpointers  and The New Yorker and has been described as “A Space Mountain roller coaster ride, an intellectual white water rafting expedition, a production that will have you talking about it for hours and days to come.”

Kevin holds an MFA in theater directing from Brooklyn college and he writes about producing and directing independent theater on his Substack publication “Modern Drama”
https://kevinrayworks.substack.com/.

More info at:  https://www.kevinrayworks.com

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