In 2004, Ralph Abraham and
Nina Wise began working together on a play based on Abraham's extensive
research on the nature of paradigm shifts. In spring,
2006, the collaborating artists spent a month at the Djerassi
Foundation where they continued to conduct research, brainstorm, and
write.
In August, 2006, the Kepler
Project premiered as a staged reading at the Bay Area Playwrights Festival
in San Francisco. Rick Foster came on board as director and dramaturg.
In July 2007, the River
Stage Playwright's Festival in Sacramento, produced a staged reading
directed by Frank Condon. Many of the audience members were scientists
and expressed a great deal of enthusiasm about the play.
In March, 2008, the Lensic
Performing Arts Center in Santa Fe produced a reading, directed by Acushla
Bastible, as part of their “Under Construction” project.
Over 350 people attended.
In April,2008, the Playwrights
Foundation sponsored a reading at A Traveling Jewish Theater in San
Francisco, directed by Acushla Bastible. Again the audience response
was extremely positive.
With each reading, due in part to the brilliant feedback
by dramaturg Rick Foster, the script has been further refined: the plot
has thickened, the characters have deepened, and the music, arranged
by Weber Iago, is now integrated in a way that enhances both the storyline
and the emotional impact of the work.