Synopsis
Carly Weekes and her sisters, Lolly and Shirley, are witches. Determined to find Carly a mate, the three cast a circle to summon a popular recording artist from Colorado. However, Shirley casts what appears to be a dubious and deadly spell. Worried that Carly and her new family might now be cursed, Lolly endeavors to reverse the hex, but fails, resulting in her expulsion to an alternate world. Years later, the Pacheco twins mysteriously drown. The case goes cold, but many believe Carly’s oldest son, Johnny, is responsible. Cold Rain is an account of a family bound by black magic, a dark and comical tale of ill-conceived machinations, misdirected resentment, and repressed desire.
Playwright Note
What’s done can’t be undone. Magic isn’t meant to fix things. It’s meant to coax things into being; to nudge things in a desired direction. The idea that we in fact have control over our own lives has always perplexed me. And while I appreciate that choice exists as a construct, I’ve never been convinced that we, as human beings, are truly able to decide our own destinies.
Cold Rain is partly about giving in to one’s fate. It’s about recognizing that if something doesn’t feel right, if something is causing you pain, it’s okay to just pick yourself up, to dust yourself off and to walk away; to pull yourself from the wreckage. It’s not about making a conscious decision to abandon what’s been left behind; it’s about being propelled forward and carrying along with you what might make you whole again.
This play also challenges the notion of family. Many define family as blood relations. But for those of us – and there are many – whose families have either unintentionally failed them or who have out-and-out abandoned them, family is about connecting with those who accept you and love you for who you are without condition.
Cold Rain is partly about giving in to one’s fate. It’s about recognizing that if something doesn’t feel right, if something is causing you pain, it’s okay to just pick yourself up, to dust yourself off and to walk away; to pull yourself from the wreckage. It’s not about making a conscious decision to abandon what’s been left behind; it’s about being propelled forward and carrying along with you what might make you whole again.
This play also challenges the notion of family. Many define family as blood relations. But for those of us – and there are many – whose families have either unintentionally failed them or who have out-and-out abandoned them, family is about connecting with those who accept you and love you for who you are without condition.
Production History
COLD RAIN received its world premiere production on Saturday, July 14, 2018, as part of the DC Capital Fringe Festival in Washington, DC and was awarded Best Drama and named one of Best of Festival. The play was directed by Craig Houk and featured the following cast: Desirée Chappelle as Carly Weekes-Rekowski, Elle Emerson as Lolly Weekes, Maura Claire Harford as Shirley Weekes, Grant Collins as Bryson Rekowski, Thomas Shuman as Fisher Hickman, Will Low as Johnny Rekowski, Stephanie Jo Clark as Donna Pagnotto, Blake Gouhari as Joe Rekowski, and Lydia Kraniotis as Lydia Pacheco.
Development History
COLD RAIN received a public staged reading on May 8th, 2017, at Studio 1469 in Washington, DC. The reading was directed by Craig Houk and featured the following cast: Laureen Smith as Carly Weekes-Rekowski, Mindy Shaw as Lolly Weekes, Sue Schaffel as Shirley Weekes, Grant Collins as Bryson Rekowski, Devin Horne as Fisher Hickman, Adrian Jesus Iglesias as Johnny Rekowski, Nerissa Hart as Donna Pagnotto, and Andrew D. Filicicchia as Joe Rekowski. Stage directions were read by Henry Niepoetter.
Awards/Recognition
Winner “Best Drama” and “Best of Festival” at Capital Fringe 2018.
Reviews
"The reverse audience omnipotence made the aha moments both more frequent and rewarding, as you often learned something new and discarded old assumptions in the very same snippet of a scene."
"The dark humor laced throughout was almost always impeccably landed to provide a release from the tense situations. The dry, damned-if-you-do-damned-if-you-don’t humor paired wonderfully with the main themes of family, fate, and choice."
"This was art and theater imitating life in all of its strangeness and ironic sadness."
“The characters are all well developed, and each of them, in their own way, is a person who doesn’t belong. This play is hard work that looks effortless.”
“Epic, sprawling, structurally ambitious, wildly funny, wildly horrifying, Cold Rain grabs one’s attention from its first lines and keeps it through every twist and turn of its haunting, dark magic-tinged plot.”
“Hulking, encompassing, evocative of that special feeling you find in vintage Stephen King, where every word and scene drips world-building of historical proportions.”
“If this show is any indication, then, much like this tantalizing family mystery, Craig Houk is a force to be reckoned with.”
“Houk cunningly constructs the play to reveal each secret, motivation, and detail drip by inexorable drip.”
"The dark humor laced throughout was almost always impeccably landed to provide a release from the tense situations. The dry, damned-if-you-do-damned-if-you-don’t humor paired wonderfully with the main themes of family, fate, and choice."
"This was art and theater imitating life in all of its strangeness and ironic sadness."
“The characters are all well developed, and each of them, in their own way, is a person who doesn’t belong. This play is hard work that looks effortless.”
“Epic, sprawling, structurally ambitious, wildly funny, wildly horrifying, Cold Rain grabs one’s attention from its first lines and keeps it through every twist and turn of its haunting, dark magic-tinged plot.”
“Hulking, encompassing, evocative of that special feeling you find in vintage Stephen King, where every word and scene drips world-building of historical proportions.”
“If this show is any indication, then, much like this tantalizing family mystery, Craig Houk is a force to be reckoned with.”
“Houk cunningly constructs the play to reveal each secret, motivation, and detail drip by inexorable drip.”