Quantum Dragon Theatre Presents THE DO'S AND DON'TS OF TIME TRAVEL

Quantum Dragon Theatre, the San Francisco Bay Area's premiere science-fiction/fantasy theatre company, concludes its second season with the West Coast premiere of Philadelphia playwright Nicholas Wardigo's queer time travel romance play The Do's and Don'ts of Time Travel. This limited-run production, directed by Anna Smith, will open at The Phoenix Theatre- located at 414 Mason Street, San Francisco- on Friday, January 11 at 8 PM.

"Missed my train. Sold a glass dildo. Traveled back in time. Not in that order."

Zoey is a time traveler, reliving the same two years of her life over and over again- the two years leading up to her girlfriend Claire's death. But in a universe of endless possibilities, it's impossible to have the same relationship twice... even if all the players are the same. Will Zoey be able to change the past? Does she even really want to? And can she somehow stop running into herself along the way? The Do's and Don'ts of Time Travel is a queer time travel romance in one act.

"I hate time travel movies. Hate them," says playwright Nicholas Wardigo. "They set up arbitrary rules, break those rules, and then smugly smirk at the audience as they pass off logical paradoxes as 'clever' in a maddening bait-and-switch that, ostensibly, releases them from any obligations to construct a coherent storyline. The only thing I hate more than a time travel movie is myself for watching so many of them, and there's no better place to begin a play than self-loathing. So I wrote a time travel play that isn't about time travel. It's about the longing to recapture the past. It's about the road-not-taken. It's about visiting other possibilities of ourselves, different only because of accidents of circumstance and the choices we make. And, unfortunately, it's also about me committing the same atrocities I hate so much in time travel movies because I thought it would be funny."

Director Anna Smith adds, "The Do's and Don'ts of Time Travel is a play that not only raises the question 'Where would you go if you could travel anywhere in time?' but also takes a hard look at our own humanity and how our mental and emotional patterns can dictate even our superhuman abilities and choices. Through the lens of three queer womxn, the play examines how we grapple with love, pain, and relationships with ourselves, our friends, and our partners."

The Do's and Don'ts of Time Travel has a four-woman cast with two actors playing the same character. QDT veteran Kitty Torres will switch roles nightly with newcomer Miranda Reilly, while accomplished Bay Area actor Caitlin Evenson and QDT fan favorite Marisa Darabi round out the cast. Kitty Torres and Marisa Darabi are returning for their third and fourth QDT plays, respectively.

Additionally, Quantum Dragon Theatre has partnered with Shotz SF to present a provide a Pixar-like short before each performance of The Do's and Dont's of Time Travel. Local playwrights Akaina Ghosh, Jess Thomas, Colin Johnson, and Malinda Coler will each write one five-to-ten minute science-fiction play, and these shorts will play on rotation, one before every show.

The Do's and Don'ts of Time Travel runs January 11 (8pm), 12 (3pm and 8pm), and 13 (3pm); 17 (8pm), 18 (8pm), 19 (3pm and 8pm), and 20 (3pm); 24 (8pm), 25 (8pm), and 26 (3pm and 8pm). Tickets available now at quantumdragon.org, with a limited number of pay-what-you-want tickets available at the door.

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