The Background

I love theatre. I love science fiction. I love science fiction theatre.

I'm Andrew Hungerford, a theatremaker with credits on over 300 shows in nearly every capacity (directing, design, acting, writing). Basically, I do anything I can in order to keep making theatre.

In 2019, while Producing Artistic Director of Know Theatre of Cincinnati, I read Caitlin Starling's novel The Luminous Dead and thought, "This could make a really compelling, inventive stage show."

In early 2020 I pitched Caitlin an adaptation proposal!

AND THEN A PANDEMIC HAPPENED.

Flash forward to 2025 where I've returned to life as a freelance, independent artist. I saw a call for Artist Residency applications at The Voxel and I thought, "What a perfect place to finally develop that stage adaptation of The Luminous Dead."

So I emailed Caitlin, esssentially, "Um, hi, I know it's been 5 years, but........."

And she and her agent gave me approval to go for it!

And then the Voxel gave me a Residency to make the show!

The Project: The Luminous Dead

When Gyre Price lied her way into this expedition, she thought she’d be mapping mineral deposits, and that her biggest problems would be cave collapses and gear malfunctions. She also thought that the fat paycheck – enough to get her off-planet and on the trail of her mother – meant she’d get a skilled surface team, monitoring her suit and environment, keeping her safe. Keeping her sane. Instead, she got Em.

The story of a perilous exploration of an extraterrestrial cave becomes a piece of highly physical, science-fiction horror theatre that explores world building through projections, audio immersion, and rough theatrical magic.

This is the kind of theatre that relies on technology AND imagination. So we've assembled a team of trusted creative collaborators, some of the most inventive designers working in small professional theatre, to make it happen.

A preliminary sketch by scenic designer Sarah Beth Hall.

Can we do this?

As a playwright, director, and designer I've tackled science fiction and adaptation before, perhaps most notably in my science fiction musical The Light Chasers(inspired by the album Light Chasers by Cloud Cult), created with much of the same production team for The Luminous Dead. As a team, we have hundreds of shows of experience, including dozens of shows made together, productions that range from the intimate to the epic.

The Light Chasers at Know Theatre of Cincinnati. Scenic, Lighting Design, Writing, and co-direction by Andrew Hungerford, costume design by Noelle Wedig-Johnston, sound and video design by Douglas Borntrager, Stargate Design by Brandon Johnston, Assistant Direction by Becca G Anderson.

Oh, we can do this.

We're making this show!

It will have performances June 2-7, 2026 at The Voxel!

Creative Team & Cast

Director/Adapter/Lighting Designer: Andrew Hungerford

Assistant Director: Becca G Anderson

Scenic Designer: Sarah Beth Hall

Costume Designer: Noelle Wedig-Johnston

Sound and Video Designer: Douglas Borntrager

Specialty Prop Designer: Brandon Johnston

Novelist: Caitlin Starling

Gyre: Adanya Koger-Hobson

Em: Ayika Tshimanga

Ensemble: David Armando, James Creque, Brandon W Jones, Misaki Weddington

From Distance Over Time Theatre, a project of This Wooden O Entertainment.

The Luminous Dead by Caitlin Starling is published by Harper Voyager, copyright 2019.

The Budget

Making Theatre Costs a Lot of Money

Here's the thing: we collectively believe in artists being compensated for their work.
(And I hope that includes compensation for me!)

To pay the cast and creative team for their advance work, two weeks of rehearsals, and one week of performances will cost:

$17,000.

The physical production (scenery, costumes, props, specialty lighting equipment, etc) will cost around:

$6,000.

And local housing and travel expenses will cost around:

$15,000.

(This last number is about 2.5 times what we originally budgeted, for a number of Complicated Reasons!)

With an average ticket price of around $28, if we sell really well, we expect to bring in around $8,000 in Box Office Revenue.

That's why we're turning to you.

Until we get Universal Basic Income, theatre is not a self-sustaining art form.

So if you believe in work that pushes the boundaries of what's possible on stage, if you believe in science fiction, and horror, and theatre in general, or if you want people to experience the work of Caitlin Starling in a different medium, I hope you'll consider pitching in a few dollars to help make this possible!

The Luminous Dead - A Stage Adaptation

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