Martha's (b)Rainstorm: A Boston Fairy Tale by John J King

Once upon a time, in 2072, rising temps and sea levels threaten to turn Boston into New England's own Venice. But some things in Boston never change: the population doubles in September, the Yankees suck, and nobody speaks to one another—they yell. City Communications Director Martha Morgan needs to chart a course that keeps Bostonians above water, but a Single-Minded Mayor, Arrogant Architect, and a...
Once upon a time, in 2072, rising temps and sea levels threaten to turn Boston into New England's own Venice. But some things in Boston never change: the population doubles in September, the Yankees suck, and nobody speaks to one another—they yell. City Communications Director Martha Morgan needs to chart a course that keeps Bostonians above water, but a Single-Minded Mayor, Arrogant Architect, and a history of segregation stand in her way. And on top of all that, a talking turtle is begging Martha to save its last egg...and its entire species. If Martha hopes save all of Boston's citizens, both human and otherwise, she better hope a rising tide lifts all votes.

Commissioned by and Developed with Fresh Ink Theatre, 2017-18 as part of the Boston Public Library's Playwright in Residence Program.
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Martha's (b)Rainstorm: A Boston Fairy Tale

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Character Information

The casting should represent the wide diversity of a major city like Boston, imagined into the future of 2072 (read: fewer white people in the ratio).

The play can be performed with 10 (or more!) in the cast.
Casting Breakdown, looks something like:
CHELONIA Woman, age and race flexible. Always Plays Chelonia
MARTHA African-American Woman, 30’s. Always Plays Martha
CASSANDRA Woman, 30’s. Also plays Pigeon
YZOBEL Latinx Woman, early 20’s. Also plays Bee
RUDY White male, 60’s or older. Also plays ETHAN and RAT
ARGUS Male, 40’s. Also plays Anchor, Lobster
GEE Male, 30’s. Also plays Announcer, Bird
ZARA Middle Eastern/North African woman, 20’s. Also plays Amal, Weatherperson, Alexa, Bunny
MAYOR Vietnamese man, 30’s. Also plays Duc, Chuong, Announcer,
Turkey, Butterfly
HECATE Latinx Woman, 30’s. Also plays Starbuck, Raquela, Announcer, Anchor

  • MARTHA LEE MORGAN
    30s,
    Black
    ,
    Female
    BoMa’s Director of Emergency Communications, translating climate science and design plans into pictures and text for the public. Martha studies jiujitsu on the side – Watch out! Black woman, 30’s.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      20s, 30s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Black, African, Caribbean, or African American
    • Gender: 
      Female
  • CHELONIA MYDAS
    300,
    Any
    ,
    Female
    A 300+ year old turtle, witch, and matriarch.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      Any adult age
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any actor of color
    • Gender: 
      Female
  • DAMIAN ARGUS
    40s,
    Any
    ,
    Male
    Dutch-born lead architect for BoMa Climate Resiliency Project. 40’s male.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      30s, 40s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Male
  • DR. CASSANDRA BYRNES
    30s,
    Any
    ,
    Female
    Cass is a marine biologist who runs graduate labs and writes about climate disasters: for kids!
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      20s, 30s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Female
  • HECATE
    20 - 50,
    Latinx
    ,
    Female
    Cassandra’s Cat. Or maybe Cassandra is her human.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      20s, 30s, 40s, 50s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Latinx/o/a or Hispanic
    • Gender: 
      Female, Non-binary
  • ZARA
    20's - 30's,
    Middle Eastern or African descent.
    Argus’ assistant; the brains in the room. Arabic woman, 20’s
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      20s, 30s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Middle Eastern, North African, or Arab American
    • Gender: 
      Female
  • YZOBEL ("YZZY")
    Child,
    Black and/or Latinx
    ,
    Female
    A 6 year old student who wants to be a whale when she grows up.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      Child, Teens, 20s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Black, African, Caribbean, or African American, Latinx/o/a or Hispanic
    • Gender: 
      Female
  • RUDY WALSH
    60 - 80,
    White
    ,
    Male
    80 yrs old. Rudy runs a corner store in Dorchester, and walks with a cane.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      60s, 70s+
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      White
    • Gender: 
      Male
  • “GEE” PUISSANT
    20s - 30s,
    Any
    ,
    Male
    Gee is a Freedom Trail guide who does drag on the weekend as a one-man drag band called Doll Severe’s Midnight Ride.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      20s, 30s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Male, Non-binary
  • MAYOR WU
    30s - 40s,
    Vietnamese
    ,
    Male
    BoMa’s Mayor.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      30s, 40s, 50s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Asian, Pacific Islander, or Asian American, South Asian or South Asian American
    • Gender: 
      Male

Development History

  • Reading
    ,
    Fresh Ink Theatre
    ,
    2018
  • Workshop
    ,
    Fresh Ink Theatre
    ,
    2018
  • Commission
    ,
    Fresh Ink Theatre
    ,
    2017

Awards

Winner
,
Fellowship in Dramatic Writing
,
Massachusetts Cultural Council
,
2019