You may want to fasten your seatbelt for this theatrical performance. Recent Indy-Award winning actor Mitchell Thomas performs the world-premiere of 鈥淭he Earthquake Predictor Rides the Bus鈥�, Friday, Sept. 22, and Friday, Sept. 29, at 7 p.m., 8 p.m., and 9 p.m. The entire performance takes place on a moving bus. Audiences will be picked up and dropped off at the entrance to Stearn鈥檚 Wharf, at the corner of State Street and Cabrillo Boulevard. The moving theatrical adventure is free and lasts about 30 minutes.
鈥淭he Earthquake Predictor鈥� is the sole theatrical offering by Off-Axis, Santa Barbara鈥檚 month-long celebration of contemporary art. Thomas plays Hank the earthquake predictor, a confused tour guide in this dark comedy written by UC Santa Barbara doctoral candidate Hank Willenbrink.
Thomas, assistant professor of theatre arts, says one of the themes of 蜜桃传媒鈥檚 theatre department this year is the transformation of space. In October, the wildly popular 鈥淜ing Richard II鈥�, a co-production with Lit Moon Theatre Company, will once again transform Trinity Episcopal Church into an adaptable space. In November, Thomas will curate and produce 鈥淭he Car Play Project鈥�, which uses a parking lot as a theatre space.
鈥淚t鈥檚 fun for audiences,鈥� says Thomas. 鈥淭hey have a new set of circumstances that they鈥檙e dealing with and so, in a way, it opens them up to new kinds of experiences that they鈥檙e not always used to having in the theatre.鈥�
Thomas says 鈥淭he Earthquake Predictor鈥� starts out as an historical tour of Santa Barbara beginning with the Chumash Indians. But as the bus ride continues, the tour guide begins to have difficulty distinguishing reality and dreams and separating the past from the present.
鈥淲e鈥檙e blurring the boundaries of audience/performer because the people on the bus are in a sense participating in the play,鈥� says Thomas. 鈥淏ecause of the moving quality of it and the live interaction with the environment around us, every tour will be unique. It鈥檚 a very unpredictable climate. So as an actor it鈥檚 a little unsettling, but also exciting.鈥�