Past productions
About the show
Bombshell Productions presents After the Storm.
The largest ammunition accident since Vietnam sparks this unusual coming-of-age saga: the true story of a young woman caught between the bureaucratic machine that aims to destroy her and the desperate need to reclaim her sense of self.
Heather Grayson was a young, naive college student when the United States sent her to fight in the Gulf War. She had unusual smarts, a steel will and an all-American ambition to succeed. After the Storm is one woman's story of high hopes, shocking betrayal, and a struggle for identity which sheds light on America's first military tour in Southwest Asia.
Grayson allows us to hear a woman soldier's point of view, courageously sharing her military coming-of-age experience, her disillusionment with the system and her private battles with our nation's largest military service.
Written and performed by Heather Grayson, After the Storm is under the direction of Tessa Leigh Derfner, with lights by Frank Dendanto III, sound by Todd Griffin and video design by Julian Rad. The touring show included the talents of Megan MacKenzie Lawrence as the movement coach and features the voices of Nicolas Glaeser and Jeremy Sumpman.
After the Storm debuted in the Access Theatre near New York's financial district on Sept. 7, 2001, four days before the World Trade Center bombing. Interrupted for two weeks, the show nevertheless received enthusiastic reviews (see press section below) and was featured in The Washington Post and New York Post because of its resonance with those tragic events.
It was extended for two weeks in October 2001, returned to New York in September 2002, and was followed by an east coast tour (including the United States Military Academy at West Point!).
Dates
Access Theater, New York
September 7 - October 13, 2001
Grove Street Playhouse, New York
October 20 - 27, 2001
Six Figures Theater, New York City
September 9, 10 and 22, 2002
Estrogenius Festival, Manhattan Theatre Source
September 14, 2002
Eisenhower Hall, West Point, New York
November 23 - 24, 2002
King Center for the Performing Arts, Melbourne, FL
January 7 - 12, 2003
Unison Arts' After the Festival Series in New Paltz, NY
May 2, 2003
PlayMakers Repertory Company, Chapel Hill, NC
May 7 - 11, 2003
Press
| "Richly involving . . . for all the intensity of her play and performance, Ms. Grayson went out of her way to make us laugh at the myriad lunacies of military life." |
— New York Times
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| "As timely as tomorrow's headlines. . . . After the Storm isn't an angry rant or a piece of self-indulgent onstage therapy; it's a slice of frighteningly real life turned into gripping theater by a smart writer who also knows how to act. And, it's funny — even about serious things. Especially about serious things." |
— NPR Weekend Edition Sunday
(click for RealAudio / MP3
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| "A gripping solo." |
— Time Out New York
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| "The biggest and most gratifying art-related surprise . . . Both serious and funny, a blend that hits the spot in times like these." |
— The Washington Post
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| "Extraordinary one-woman show." |
— New York Post
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| "A dramatic achievement . . . There's a lot to talk about." |
— Offoffoff.com
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Pictures
Click any photo for full-size version.
Video
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See the "After the Storm" preview on RealVideo:
Large format (best for high-speed connections).
Small format (best for medium/low-speed connections).
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