Death, Ray.

Aotearoa, 1935. Under a veil of government secrecy, an inventor is taken to Matiu Somes Island to build a death ray. This is his story.

Well, maybe it is. Possibly. It could be. How do you know this isn't how it happened? 

A strange fiction based on stranger facts, Death, Ray. by Zachary Klein is an outlandish new play inspired by a bizarre footnote in our history, presented by For Actual Real Theatre and premiering at BATS Theatre in New Zealand Fringe Festival 2025.

We have brought together a team of emerging practitioners and recent graduates to collaborate on this project, with a wealth of previous Fringe award-nominated and winning experience backing them (blackpill, Antarctic Endeavours, Horny and Confused). 

Zachary Klein - Ray / Writer

Stella Vaivai - Death

Peggie Barnes - Patricia / Prime Minister

Rachel McLean - Director

Katie Hill - Stage Manager 

Tasman Hughes - Production Manager / Producer

Ruby Carter - Costume Designer

Josiah Matagi - Lighting Designer

Julia Bon-McDonald - Marketing and Publicity / Props Coordinator

Wei-Chi Lin - AV Designer

Blackpill: https://www.theatreview.org.nz/production/blackpill/

Antarctic Endeavours: https://www.theatreview.org.nz/production/antarctic-endeavours-premiere-season/ 

We are raising money to cover the production costs associated with bringing the premiere season of Death, Ray. to life—from costume pieces to venue and personnel costs. 

We are committed to maximising theatricality on a minimal budget, and have focused our production design on repurposing, recycling and transforming newspapers. By working hard to reduce material costs, we will ensure that every dollar of support we receive will have maximum impact on the success of the production.

Your support will ensure that our artists are compensated for their work and talents. We are committed to reimbursing our team for their time and dedication that they put into the debut of Zachary Klein’s hilarious new play. 

Please note that Boosted takes a 10% fee of our target. All donors are eligible for 33% tax credit! And  Boosted is All Or Nothing so we need to hit our target to receive any of your very appreciated donations.

Death, Ray. tells the story of amateur inventor Ray, who finds himself kidnapped and imprisoned after the passing of his wife Patricia. His captor—the Prime Minister—instructs him to build a deadly weapon for the good of the country. Still delirious with grief after his wife's passing, Ray is convinced this is the best way to commemorate Patricia’s pacifist legacy—all while an apathetic narrator observes his improbable story. 

Inspired by the strange story of Victor Penny and the powerful ‘invisible ray’ he was allegedly building on Matiu Island in 1935 (seriously!) the play reimagines an odd and delightful piece of Te Whanganui-a-Tara history in an odd and delightful way, making New Zealand Fringe Festival 2025 the perfect place for it to premiere. Three actors will bring the four characters to life and the production will utilise projection and puppetry to bring this outrageous story to life.

Death, Ray. navigates with brevity, wit, and satirical bite the absurdities of attempting self-determination in the face of our imminent apocalyptic futures by the hands of bumbling authoritarians. That is to say that we think the pre-WWII setting of the play and our current, tenuously pre-WWIII state have a lot of similarities! 

Your backing will support the development of an exciting new writer and the work of some of Te Whanganui-a-Tara’s most promising emerging theatremakers.