Word for Word performs Bradbury's "The Veldt" and Vonnegut's "The Big Space Fuck" at Z Space through July 19, with specific schedule and venue details.

Word for Word's "Absolutely Science Fiction!" pairs two literary giants who never collaborated but share a terrifying prescience about technology run amok. Running through July 19 at Z Below, the literary theater company performs Ray Bradbury's "The Veldt" and Kurt Vonnegut's "The Big Space Fuck" exactly as written, with actors bringing the authors' words to life without adaptation.

The double bill runs Wednesdays and Thursdays at 7 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m., and Sundays at 2 p.m. through July 19. There's no show on July 4, with an extra matinee Saturday, July 11 at 2 p.m. The venue is Z Below at 450 Florida St. in the Mission. Tickets are $50-$75.

In "The Veldt" (1950), Bradbury imagines a fully automated "Happylife Home" where a virtual reality nursery consumes two children with its African savanna projection. Vonnegut's "The Big Space Fuck" (1972) satirizes humanity's last-ditch solution to civilization's collapse: launching freeze-dried human DNA toward the Andromeda Galaxy while a daughter sues her parents over her upbringing.

Directed by Delia MacDougall, the production embraces both stories' problematic elements—Bradbury's colonial vision and Vonnegut's gallows humor—while highlighting their shared warning about convenience turning catastrophic. The five-actor ensemble features Christian Jimenez, Hannah Mae Sturges, Joel Mullennix, Nicole Odell, and Ryan Tasker.

The show runs approximately 75 minutes with an intermission and includes flashing effects. Recommended for ages 13+. Z Space is accessible via Muni's 12, 14, 27, and 49 lines, with nearby street parking on Florida and 17th streets.