Cloudless

“I love this play, its challenges. The characters speak in extended monologues throughout, and the stage directions are imagistic and cinematic. From the opening moments of Cloudless, José Teodoro plays with the conventions and structure of dramatic narration. To begin, Laura wakes from a dream or perhaps into a dream. She makes it immediately clear that we are going back, physically, psychologically, spiritually. As the play unfolds, the other characters—a group of young friends—join in, sharing their experience, dreams, nightmares, and waking visions, building the story as the play drifts gracefully through the currents of their varied memories, sharp with the specificity of dreams, gathering momentum towards a central mystery: the disappearance of two young divers in the depths of the Pacific as their friends wait on the surface are left to wait, hope, and seek meaning where there may be none. In time, the currents shift, life continues, new relationships are formed, but the insoluble puzzle remains to haunt them. Cloudless offers the intimacy of storytelling within a rich and shifting poetic setting. It presents us with the detail of life imagined, reimagined, and lived in the blank face of inexplicable events. It pulls you under, into its unique current—and you know you’ve been somewhere when it lets you go.”

Martin Kinch, writer, director, producer, former Artistic Director of Toronto Free Theatre, Theatre Calgary

“Cloudless is a sensual, melancholy and mysterious ride, with a final movement that lingers long after reading. Immersive and dreamy, Cloudless is a beautiful reflection on memory, desire, and loss.”

Christine Quintana, playwright, Clean

Cloudless

Loosely based on real events, Cloudless is a memory play designed for a chorus of voices at once separate and intertwined. Each of its five characters struggles to reckon with the same mysterious incident: the disappearance of two young women during a diving expedition off the coast of Oaxaca, Mexico, an incident that sent the lives of those connected to it in unexpected directions involving secrets, travel, sexual discovery, natural disasters, drugs, spiritualism and emigration.

Praise for the serial audio version of Cloudless:

“The voices of Cloudless have lived vividly in my imagination since working on the original stage version with José. Alison Wong and her talented cast capture the story, the characters, and the unique authorial voice in this audio adaptation. Stephen Lyons' musical scoring creates a sense of place and spaciousness that allows my imagination to take even further leaps. A beautifully crafted offering whose poetry and mystery linger long after listening.”

Heidi Taylor, Artistic & Executive Director, Playwrights Theatre Centre

“Cloudless is such engrossing story! It's a hauntingly beautiful coming of age tale that spans continents, genders, and sexualities. It's lovingly rendered in a compelling series of audio episodes by an exceptional creative team. Put on your headphones and relax into a great story.”

Brendan Healy, Artistic Director, Canadian Stage