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Word for Word pairs two visions
of the future with mixed results

Joel Mullennix and Nicole Odell

Z Space, known for developing original and experimental theater, is also home to Word for Word, a resident company that transforms works of fiction into stage productions by performing short stories exactly as written. This summer, they presented Absolute Science Fiction!, featuring stories by Ray Bradbury and Kurt Vonnegut.

Ryan Tasker and Nicole Odell

Published in 1951, Bradbury’s The Veldt imagines a future in which the American Dream can be purchased. We meet the Hadley family: George (Ryan Tasker), Lydia (Nicole Odell), and their two spoiled children, Wendy (Hannah Mae Sturges) and Peter (Christian Jimenez). They live in a postmodern automated house, represented by scenic designer Kate Boyd‘s minimal set with brightly colored panels on either side of the stage. The house does practically everything. By merely pushing buttons on a control panel, meals are cooked, and the house is cleaned. It even brushes teeth and shines shoes. All this for a mere $30,000 (roughly $400,000 today).

Hannah Mae Sturges, Christian Jimenez, and Ryan Tasker

George and Lydia, however, have splurged on an extra room: a nursery that can conjure any setting imaginable. In this case, the children have created an African jungle complete with a ferocious pack of lions. Alarmed by what they discover, George attempts to regain control by keeping the nursery locked as much as possible. The children, of course, rebel. For modern audiences, the story plays like a cautionary episode of The Twilight Zone or Black Mirror. When the children eventually find a way back into the nursery, the consequences are serious, if not deadly. The suspense builds steadily to its chilling conclusion.

Ryan Tasker

Published in 1972, Vonnegut gives us another futuristic tale: The Big Space Fuck. This dystopian satire presents a world where years of pollution have taken their toll on America. Rivers and lakes are foul, piles of trash are ubiquitous, and children have the legal power to sue their parents for seemingly any perceived offense. The fast-moving piece is packed with sight gags, including one about the power of sperm, and plays like an extended Saturday Night Live sketch. Cast members assume multiple roles, and their rapid-fire delivery rarely lets up as they shamelessly mug for the audience. Not all the jokes land, and much of the humor is downright cringeworthy (I’m convinced some people will laugh at anything). Mercifully, the piece is brief. If you’re willing to embrace its outrageous premise, you may have a good time. If not, it becomes an exercise in torture.

Nicole Odell and Joel Mullennix

Word for Word’s pairing of Bradbury and Vonnegut offers two very different theatrical experiences. The Veldt delivers genuine suspense and a chilling payoff, while The Big Fuck is far less successful, relying on humor that too often misses the mark. The result is an uneven evening whose first half proves considerably more rewarding than its second.

Hannah Mae Sturges and Christian Jimenez

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photos by Jessica Palopoli

Absolute Science Fiction!
Word for Word / Z Space
Z Below, 470 Florida Street in San Francisco
Wed–Sat at 8; Sun at 2
ended July 19, 2026
future shows, visit Z Space

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