A Thought About Raya

The first collaboration of Hannah Bos, Oliver Butler and Paul Thureen, A Thought About Raya premiered in New York City in March of 2004 at the Red Room before transferring to Clemente Soto Velez. The play toured to Portland, OR, Austin, TX, Hartford, CT and was remounted for a short run at The Brick theater in Brooklyn, NY in November, 2007.

"Enraptures the audience from start to finish!" - Washington Square News

A Thought About Raya brings to the stage the violent and darkly comedic spirit of Leningrad artist Daniil Kharms, whose idiosyncratic visions and nonlinear theatrical performances led to his arrest, imprisonment, and eventual death during Stalin’s purges. In a series of colliding scenes, vibrant images and absurd turns frame this performance that is part fable, part dance, and part experience. The complex themes of love, sex, violence, and death pepper this simple story of the search for a voice in the midst of chaos.

CREATED AND PERFORMED BY HANNAH BOS & PAUL THUREEN
DIRECTED BY OLIVER BUTLER
BASED ON THE WRITINGS OF DANIIL KHARMS

Premiere Production Creative Team:
Lighting Design - Sabrina Braswell
Costume Design - Sydney Maresca
Production Manager - Shane Tilston
Machine Artist - Paul O’Connor

Touring Production Creative Team:
Costume Design - Sydney Maresca
Lighting Design - Mike Riggs
Sound Engineer - Nathan Leigh