WAVE Productions’ “Sometimes the Rain, Sometimes the Sea” is set to make a splash during its run this Friday and Saturday at Shanley Pavilion. 

The play, written by Julia Izumi, is loosely inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Little Mermaid” and follows a young rain cloud who falls in love with a human. 

Director and Communication senior Karina Patel said she was drawn by the show’s “larger than life” elements. Patel, craving the return of live theater, said she wanted to direct a playful show that would also deliver profound, touching messages on what it means to be human. As an international student, Patel also found herself relating to the show and the experiences represented. 

“This is one of the first plays I’ve read that calls specifically for international identities to be present in the room,” Patel said. “This whole idea of belonging, of falling out of the sky into an unfamiliar place and trying to figure out how to be, is something very reminiscent of the international student experience.” 

Though Patel was confident this was the show she wanted to put on, she did find the show’s whimsical nature challenging to navigate at first. She said the show’s progress could not have been possible without Communication senior Jack Owen, the show’s producer. 

Owen said he chose Patel to direct the show because he was in awe of her creative vision and wanted to be the person that would provide her with the financial and logistical resources needed to make her vision come to life, while never overstepping her decisions. 

“Our collaborators really want to do well for her because she’s a wonder to work with,” Owen said. “Passion is infectious — if people feel happy where they are, if they feel comfortable, if their limits are not being pushed, then the work will be much better than if they feel like they are being forced to do something for the sake of having it look better.” 

That passion seems to have paid off, Owen said, as the entire cast and crew were awestruck the first time they saw the completed set.

Communication sophomore Veronica Szafoni, who plays Ina, a secret princess in the show, said she found the character easy to portray given her “tough” and “fierce” demeanor. She also praised Patel’s directorial style, which she said allowed her to take creative risks and liberties with her analysis of certain scenes. 

“What I really love about Karina is she’s always asking, ‘Do you have an idea for this?’ Especially when you don’t know the answer,” Szafoni said. “It’s so admirable because there are so many directors that feel like they need to know everything, and this process has been so different from that.” 

The crew is excited for its hard work to pay off. Patel said she hopes audiences will be able to relate to the show’s “appreciation of the human experience.” 

She also hopes international students will be able to see themselves and their experiences represented on stage. 

“There’s something for everyone packed into the 74-page script, and depending on who you are as a person, you’re going to get something different,” Patel said. “At its core, this play is about learning how to be and learning how to love, and those are the two main things I want audiences to appreciate when watching it.” 

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