an online film collaboration of

The Hour of All Things by Caridad Svich

Eight portrayals illuminate a search for collective understanding in an increasingly divisive world.

 

Streaming in November, 2021

 

Click here to download a PDF version of this release.

 

LOS ANGELES (October 1, 2021) — Son of Semele Ensemble (SoSE) presents a digital performance of The Hour of All Things written by Caridad Svich. Produced by Matthew McCray and created through a collaboration of nine notable directors from the Los Angeles theatre scene, the film will stream online throughout November, 2021. The Hour of All Things tells the story of one character’s journey into political activism to combat an increasingly divisive world.

 

Published in 2017 in an anthology of plays by Svich, The Hour of All Things follows the play’s central character, Nic, through a myriad of lived experiences involving alienation, activism, camaraderie, and peace. The film journeys through eight distinct monologues that explore Nic’s changing observations about the world and which ultimately lead to an awakening of socio-political purpose–one that resonates with recent real-life injustices that have galvanized the country. 

 

In Son of Semele’s cinematic version of The Hour of All Things, each scene of the film is directed by one or more of the following directors: Martha Demson, Erith Jaffe-Berg, Barbara Kallir, Edgar Landa, Bruce A. Lemon, Jr., Jeff Liu, Matthew McCray, Armando Molina and Jon Lawrence Rivera. Similarly, the role of Nic is re-conceived for a diverse ensemble of eight actors who each portray Nic in one scene. By presenting Nic in this manner, Nic’s identity is simultaneously singular and communal–expressing not only individual desires, but also truths shared by many. The ensemble cast includes Tony Abatemarco, Richard Azurdia, Melina Bielefelt, Hannah Priscilla Craig, Donna Simone Johnson, Bruce A. Lemon, Jr., Julianna Stephanie Ojeda and Ryun Yu. 

 

McCray’s concept of using multiple directors and multiple performers to portray Nic’s singular journey gives each scene a unique style and quality, further reflecting the diversity of race, gender and age ever present throughout the film. Additional contributions to the film include production design by Katrina Coulourides, lighting by Kaitlin Chang, editing by Matthew McCray, and sound editing by Gahyae Ryu.

 

For the past 18 months, Son of Semele has been unable to produce live events due to the pandemic. The 2020 shutdown of live theatre inspired SoSE to explore online programming–The Hour of All Things is Son of Semele’s first feature-length online performance project. This is the third time the company has produced work by Caridad Svich. Past Svich productions include a 2017 production of Archipelago, directed by company member Barbara Kallir, and a 2006 award-winning production of Iphigenia Crash Land Falls…, directed by Matthew McCray.

Caridad Svich received a 2012 OBIE for Lifetime Achievement. Her work as a playwright, translator, lyricist, and essayist has been seen in print, live and digital stages at diverse venues across the US and abroad. Key plays in her extensive repertoire include 12 Ophelias, Iphigenia Crash Land Falls…, Red Bike and The House of the Spirits (based on Isabel Allende’s novel). Theatrical digital world premieres in 2021 have included The Book of Magdalene and Theatre: a love story. Memories of Overdevelopment was developed at The Goodman Theatre’s Future Labs Reading Series this summer. As a screenwriter, her first feature film (as co-screenwriter, based on her play) Fugitive Dreams has been seen at the Fantasia, Austin, Tallinn Black Nights, Manchester (UK) and Maryland Film Festivals. Among her recognitions are an American Theatre Critics Association Primus Prize, the Edgerton Foundation New Play Award, and National Latino Playwriting Award (which she has received twice). She has edited several books on theatre. She most recently authored a book about Hedwig and the Angry Inch (Routledge). Her second feature film Abilene (as screenwriter) is currently in post-production.