When the Rain Stops Falling - Almeida Theatre

Welcometo the Almeida Theatre’sproduction of When the Rain Stops Falling byAndrew Bovell.“Terrible weather. Still, there are people drowning in Bangladeshso we shouldn’t complain.”“Are there?”“Are there...?”“People drowning...in Bangladesh?”“No. It’s just a figure of speech. It’s something my mother says.Though they often do. Each monsoon. But they’re not at themoment. At least I hope not.”This is an extract from Andrew Bovell’s When the Rain StopsFalling, a casual expression, an invented version of ‘it’s notthe end of the world’. It reappears as a leitmotif through thatplay, echoed in the mouths of characters in threegenerations. By the final generation, in 2039, people aredrowning, and Bangladesh is, in fact, flooding.IntroductionJonathan Cullen, Phoebe Nicholls and Lisa DillonPhoto: John HaynesThe play poses at its core, the very fundamental thequestion of nature versus nurture: are our actions, like theweather, sometimes driven by forces out of our control? Oneunnatural act, committed by Henry Law in 1959 upsets thebalance of nature: successive generations of one family aretorn apart, spread between two continents with pieces oftheir history missing from their lives. And so too theweather: is not snow in Adelaide just as unnatural as themurder of a child, a father leaving a son or parentscommitting suicide?Director Michael Attenborough describes this play as“purely theatrical”, in that he believes it could not be writtenfor any medium other than theatre. Where else, he asks, canso much be ‘said’, but not actually spoken? On the Almeidastage this production draws the audience into a unique andintimate world, and offers just that, a truly theatricalexperience.We very much hope that you and your students are also ableto draw energy both from the play’s ideas and the power andskill with which they are presented. For more informationabout Almeida Projects please visit our website:www.almeida.co.uk/projectsWe look forward to welcoming you to the Almeida Theatresoon.Charlie, Natalie, and AnneAlmeida ProjectsAlmeida Projects: When the Rain Stops Falling by Andrew Bovell2