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In 1993, three friends -- all members of the local Washington DC Doctor Who club -- got together to write a script for their own amateur Who video. Little could they foresee that the project would take on a life of its own, becoming something far greater than they'd ever dreamed. Over time the production expanded -- from involving friends, fellow club members and relatives -- to recruiting the technical assistance of people in all parts of the country, even some from outside the US.
What emerged after nearly four years of hard work was Time Rift, an adventure featuring writer/producer/director Jon Blum as the Seventh Doctor and co-writer AC Chapin as Ace. With co-writer Amy Steele as Ray, a cybernetically-enhanced Dalek-killer from the future. Marsha Twitty as Brigadier General Adrienne Kramer of the Washington DC branch of UNIT-USA. Local dinner theater actor Itzy Friedman as Dr. Frederick Black, UNIT-USA's scientific advisor. Kevin Cherry as navy Captain Stephen Walker, commander of the US Naval Research Station. And David Dougherty as Timothy Hartnell, a manipulative government bureaucrat who finds himself trapped in the middle of a game that's bigger than any he'd ever imagined.
Plus a score of on-camera extras, behind-the-scenes production crew and even a contingent of InterNet contacts working on everything from cover art and tape distribution to computer graphic effects and an original musical soundtrack.
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Amy Steele (left) and AC Chapin (right) |
The TARDIS is drawn off course and sent to Washington DC in the near future by the Time Lords where they want the Doctor to investigate interference in a major historical event to happen within the next 24 hours -- the complete and total destruction of the US capital by an unknown force. With the help of UNIT's scientific advisor, Dr. Black, the Doctor is able to determine the cause of a series of unexplained appearances and disappearances (including that of a cybernetic warrior from the year 2165 named Ray). A time rift, which is a tangle in the delicate web of time, has centered itself on the DC area and, if it is not taken under control quickly, will go critical and destroy the entire city. General Kramer requests the Doctor's aid in averting the disaster.
The Doctor finds himself in a desperate situation. Should he obey the Time Lords and allow the rift to detonate, killing millions of innocent people? Or should he listen to Ace's pleas for him to prevent it? Who is the inside agent leaking information to Captain Walker, the commander of the US Naval Research Station, who seems intent on interfering with every step of UNIT's investigation? What is his motivation? Who is he working for? And what about Ray, the time-stranded cybernetic hunter, who's only joy in life is killing Daleks? How long can she hold out against the self-destructive instincts of her botched cybernetic programming? Then there's Ace, who's own view of the Doctor has suddenly become less clear and more distrustful than before. Will things between her and the Doctor ever be the same again?
