Poster art by Brett Grunig.
A formidable mother, a conflicted daughter, and a scientist from out of town. On the rugged Oregon coast, in an economically depressed small town that sits squarely in a tsunami zone, three people learn that some of their beliefs are well founded, and some are built on shaky ground.
A drama about coming to terms with the dangerous natural forces that surround us, inspired by Kathryn Schulz’s award-winning New Yorker article that highlighted the tsunami risk to the Pacific Northwest coast.
Cast: 2F, 1M.
Run time: 70 minutes
Development History: Commissioned by the San Francisco Olympians Festival, who presented a staged reading of it in Fall 2015, under the title Tethys. Cast: Alan Coyne (Greg), Kendra Webb (Laura), Janice Wright (Susan). Director: Marissa Skudlarek.
Subsequently chosen for the Custom Made Theatre Company’s Undiscovered Works program, where it received 3 developmental readings and a workshop production under the direction of Gabriel Ross. The actors in the readings, which happened throughout the course of 2016, included Joey Alvarado, Adam Niemann, and JD Scalzo (as Greg), Kendra Webb and April Green (as Laura), and Marie O’Donnell and Terry Bamberger (as Susan). The actors in the workshop, which had 6 performances at the EXIT Theater in San Francisco in Spring 2017, were Jason Wayne Wong (Greg), Maria Giere Marquis (Laura), and Terry Bamberger (Susan). Allie Moss was the dramaturg.
Custom Made also sponsored a reading of the script in Fall 2017 in New York City. Cast: Eric Rice (Greg), Katherine McDowell (Laura), Sharon O'Connell (Susan). Director: Leah Abrams.
The Custom Made Theatre Company retains an option to present the world premiere of this script. In April 2019, it will become available to other theaters.