"Draws patrons in...sensorially, almost hypnotically..."
—Jean Schiffman, SF Examiner

"A timeless tale especially relevant today"
—Carol Benet, forallevents.info

"Stunningly impressive…mesmerizing to watch…Word for Word once again triumphs"
—Eddie Reynolds, theatreeddys.blogspot.com

“…magnificent stagecraft. Oliver DiCicco and Colm McNally’s set design makes you feel as if you’re gazing off the prow of a majestic vessel….”
—Lily Janiak, Sf Chronicle/sfgate.com

Z Space and Word for Word present:

Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s Epic Poem

The rime of the Ancient Mariner

Sept 11 - Oct 11, 2019 at Z Space

Directed by Delia MacDougall and Jim Cave

Considered by some to be a "green parable," this epic voyage is a tale of man's crime against nature, with the shooting of the magnificent albatross—and the havoc which nature wreaks in return. Z Space’s stage will be turned into a sailing ship (Oliver DiCicco and Colm McNally, scenic design) surrounded by the sea and the elements (Hana Kim, video projections; Ray Oppenheimer, lighting, Matt Stines, sound; Nol Simonse, choreography; Nikki Anderson-Joy, costumes). We hope that you will enjoy Word for Word’s expansive take on this take on this classic epic poem.

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Previews - September 11, 12, 14, 15, 18, 19
Opening Night - Friday, September 20
Additional Press Night - Saturday, September 21

Showtimes:
Thursdays - 7pm
Fridays and Saturdays - 8pm
Sundays - 3pm

Running Time Approx. 1 hr
Please note that strobe lights will be used during this performance.
at Z Space | 450 Florida St | San Francisco, CA 94110

Post Show Events

September 29 — a collaboration with Fieldworks Collaborative – "navigating natural and social ecologies" – with a seafaring cocktail toast to Luke Cole's environmental work. Luke was an environmental lawyer and the co-founder of the Center on Race, Poverty & the Environment, in California. He was a pioneer in using legal work for the environmental justice movement.

October 3 - Zero Waste Speaker: Environmental advocate and educator Elyse Hochstadt will lead a discussion about the current situation of plastic pollution and how it’s contributing to climate change and environmental degradation. Learn how you can avoid plastics in your day-to-day life and wield your consumer power to make a difference in the future of our beautiful planet. rehabit.world

October 10 — Eco-poetry Event: Z Space is thrilled to partner with Susan Schwartzenberg, Director of the Exploratorium's Bay Observatory, for a special presentation of the museum's Conversations About Landscapes series that brings together artists, activists, and scientists to grapple with issues that shape contemporary landscapes. The evening features discussions with contemporary poets Pireeni Sundaralingam, Martin Rock, Juliana Spahr, and Rime actor Bob Ernst.

On Tuesday, October 1st, Fieldworks Collaborative hosts a special event in Z Space that is a lively evening of spirit tasting and conversation with local environmental activists. Click for DETAILS AND TICKETS.

Press Resources

The press agent for this show was David Hyry, Word for Word’s dedicated press agent, who can be reached at daldenh@aol.com.

The Cast

*Member, AEA

SAMUEL TAYLOR COLERIDGE

Born 1772 in Devon, England. The youngest son of a large family, he studied at Cambridge, but caroused his way through school, and though very companionable, often fell into deep bouts of depression and was haunted by violent dreams from which he would awaken screaming. At 21, he left Cambridge and joined the British Army's Dragoon Guards. An utter failure as a soldier, his older brother had to buy his way out; he was certified as insane and then released. Coleridge returned to Cambridge but struggled with what he called, “a religious twilight." Convinced that nature was the best teacher, he quit Cambridge and began a series of walking tours around the country and developed an idea for a utopian society, Pantisocracy, with hopes of starting his "commune" in America. Coleridge was a dynamic lecturer, giving political speeches against the slave trade and in support of the rebellious Americans. Celebrated for his “strange power of speech”, he often lectured in on the Unitarian faith. He married, had a child, and suffered from bouts of illness which he ministered with opium. He increasingly turned to opium as inspiration rather than cure, and wrote his famed poem Kubla Khan directly from an opium delirium. Coleridge became friends with William Wordsworth, and together they spent many hours walking in nature. Together, Wordsworth and Coleridge launched the Romantic Era of English literature with the 1798 collection, Lyrical Ballads, which included Coleridge's Rime of the Ancient Mariner. He was just 26.

Illustrations by Gustav Doré