Word For Word's RIME OF THE ANCIENT MARINER Opens Next Month

Word for Word and Z Space stage an atmospheric production of Samuel Taylor Coleridge's legendary Rime of the Ancient Mariner with press nights of Friday and Saturday September 20 & 21 at 8pm running through October 12 (Previews Sept 11-19).

Considered by some to be a green parable, this epic voyage is a tale of man's crime against nature, with the shooting of the magnificent albatross--and the havoc which nature wreaks in return. Rime of the Ancient Mariner is directed by Jim Cave and Delia MacDougall with a cast that features Nathaniel Andalis, Lucas Brandt, Robert Ernst*, Darryl V. Jones, Leontyne Mbele-Mbong*, Earl Paus, Charles Shaw Robinson*, Patricia Silver* and Randall Wong. (*member AEA)

Z Space for Rime of the Ancient Mariner moves seating to the lip of the stage for this atmospheric staging by a design team that features scenic design by Oliver DiCicco & Colm McNally, environmental projections of the sea designed by Teddy Hulsker with video content by Hana Kim, choreography by Nol Simonse, with lighting design by Ray Oppenheimer, sound design by Matt Stines and costume design by Nikki Anderson-Joy. Audience-related activities are developed by Word for Word in collaboration with The Exploratorium, San Francisco's interactive museum of science, art, and human perception, and their programs on global climate change investigating how to slow down and adapt to climate change. Word for Word is also collaborating with the San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park with a look at San Francisco's maritime history.

Special Post-show Events as of 8/1

Rime is a message in a bottle: a green parable about a crime against nature, and a dream which becomes a call to action.

September 29, A collaboration with Fieldworks Collaborative with a seafaring cocktail toast to Luke Cole's environmental work following performance. Luke was an environmental lawyer and co-founder of the Center on Race, Poverty & the Environment, in California. He was a pioneer in using legal work for the environmental justice movement.

October 10, Following performance: Eco-poetics: Z Space presentation of the Exploratorium's series that brings together practitioners from the fields of geography, ecology, environmental sciences, policy, design, and the arts to grapple with issues that shape contemporary landscapes.

Word for Word Performing Arts Company, a program of Z Space, is an ensemble whose mission is to tell great stories with elegant theatricality, staging performances of classic and contemporary fiction. Founded in 1993 by Susan Harloe and JoAnne Winter, Word for Word believes in the power of the short story to provide solace, compassion, and insight into our daily lives.