New Ray Bradbury Musical Premiere in Berkeley

The world premiere of All Summer in a Day, a new musical based on Ray Bradbury's short story premieres Saturday, February 10, 2018 at the Ashby Stage in Berkeley. Created by two current students of Oakland School for the Arts, the performance is presented through Shotgun Players' Make A Difference (MAD) program and features an all youth creative team and cast.

The musical is composed by Hannah Mayer, a 15 year old El Cerrito resident and sophomore at Oakland School for the Arts (OSA) and written and directed by Leela Kiyawat, a 14 year old Kensington resident and freshman at OSA. "We were drawn to the powerful messages within Ray Bradbury's short story of how immigrants are often mistreated and how, in a community, all of our differences should be honored and respected" say the two creators of the musical.

All Summer in a Day is a 1954 short story by Bradbury and details the lives of schoolchildren who were born on Venus by Earthling parents. Their world is dark and rainy because the sun comes out once every seven years and the children, now nine, are too young to remember it. A new classmate from Earth arrives and remembers the sun, but nobody believes her. The 30 minute musical takes place within the children's classroom, on the day the sun comes out for an hour and shows how the experience changes them.

Mayer and and Kiyawat created the musical using their free time over the summer and recruited singers and actors from OSA to record the original songs. They soon realized they had a musical to present to the public. The girls sought permission from the Ray Bradbury trust and were given the opportunity to present two free public performances. In addition to the original music, script, and direction, OSA students have also created the sets, costumes, lighting design, choreography, and logo.

Patrick Dooley, the artistic director and founder of Shotgun Players offered them the opportunity to perform their musical on the Ashby stage. Additionally, through Shotgun Players' Make a Difference program, the cast was able to use the rehearsal space in exchange for work study hours.

Tickets are complimentary with a suggested donation at the door. Immediately following each performance, audience members are invited to stay for a post-performance Q&A with the musical's creators, actors and a member of Shotgun Players' MAD program.

For tickets visit: www.allsummerinaday.brownpapertickets.com

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