The brand-new Kindling Theatre Company is proud to present

              our inaugural production, the world premiere of 

              The Future Is Not What It Was

                   a new play by Michael Rabe  

                 Jan. 11 - Feb. 2, 2013

The Future Is Not What It Was is a dark comedy set in a world not unlike our own, where society's moral compasses have been broken, the church has lost all currency, and no one seems to have any answers. In the play, roommates Sean and Tom are rivals for the affection of a beautiful girl down the hall, who knows just which buttons to push to play them off each other. In the midst of this whiskey and weed soaked triangle, the characters struggle to grow into the kind of people they want to be. The play wonders, which voice do you listen to, the one inside your head, or the million other voices?  Can we still find connection in a world so wholly lost and perpetually distracted?  And, can we ever find our long way home? 

                                    "never underestimate the power of a few good texts"

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 With: Katie Blake, Maryam Hassouni, Maya Kazan, Eddie Liu, Rhett Owen, Michael Rabe

Director: Jay Stull

Scenic Design:  George Hoffman & Greg Kozatek

Images:  Greg Kozatek

Costumes: Cat Hunt & Scott Stevenson

Lighting: Nick Houfek 

Sound: Slats Toole

Stage manager: Whitney Dearden

Assistant director: Jerry Lieblich

Press Representative: Don Summa

Produced by the Kindling Theater Company, with the generous support of David Richenthal and the Richenthal Foundation

The show will run Jan. 11 to Feb. 2, 2013 at Soho Rep.'s Walkerspace, located at 46 Walker Street, New York, NY 10013. Tickets will be $18 general admission. 

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This group of people came together originally as friends. We all attended the William Esper Studio together, but it wasn't until we left the program that we hatched this plan to work together. We believe that the best work comes from the collaboration of friends, and that a kindred spirit and sensibility engenders strong, daring work. 

Rhett and Maya first started discussing the creation of a new theater company to fill what they saw as a hole -- there are few companies or foundations that specialize in championing the work of very new artists, before they are considered by the community to be "emerging." The Kindling Theater Company seeks to remedy that by providing the opportunity for fledgling artists to learn on their feet.

When they started to think about what might be their first production, talk swiftly shifted to this piece. 'Wasn't Michael writing a play? And wasn't it really good?' 

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In order to make this production as good as we know it can be, we ask for your support. We have already raised more than HALF of our budget, but in order to reach our goal we need YOUR HELP.

Where Does This Money Go?

There are myriad costs associated with putting up a professional production, even at this grassroots level with a shoestring budget like ours. The cost of renting our performance space alone is $14,000! And even a small project like ours requires almost all of the same elements that you would expect to need on a larger-scale, even a Broadway show.  

We need to hire scenic, lighting, sound, and costume designers. We need to rent a rehearsal space. 

We need to pay for the raw materials of creating the look and feel of the show - the set, the costumes, the props, etc. 

We need to promote the show - designing and printing posters, flyers, the program, and other promotional materials. 

Some of the numbers that we throw out are large (Anybody want to give us 14K??)    But contributions of any and all sizes are deeply appreciated. We can't do this without the support of our friends and families.