In "End of Times Therapy," Solange Castro explores human resilience against the backdrop of a dystopian Los Angeles. Set in 2040, the play weaves together themes of survival, gender politics, and psychological healing in a world teetering on the brink of collapse. Castro's decision to center the narrative around a therapist's practice in La Crescenta serves as both literal setting and metaphor for humanity's persistent need for connection and understanding, even in the darkest times.... Read more →
Beth Lopes's radical reimagining of "Measure for Measure" at the New Swan Shakespeare Festival confronts us with urgent questions about power, agency, and justice. Her production centers Isabella's perspective, using amplified heartbeats to connect viewers viscerally with the character's mounting trauma over 24 harrowing hours. Lopes enhances female roles throughout - elevating Mistress Overdone; introducing Mariana earlier; and gender-swapping Escalus - while maintaining Shakespeare's core narrative. She frames Vienna as a near-future dystopia where women... Read more →
Lynn Nottage's "By the Way, Meet Vera Stark" deconstructs Hollywood's racial dynamics during its Golden Age through a layered narrative that spans seven decades. The play's meta-theatrical structure interrogates both historical representation and contemporary interpretation of Black actresses' experiences in early cinema. Director Rondrell McCormick's navigates these temporal shifts with precision, allowing the parallel stories of Vera Stark and Gloria Mitchell to expose persistent patterns of racial typecasting and cultural erasure. The play's examination of... Read more →
In “Unreconciled,” Jay Sefton elevates personal history into a powerful examination of trauma, weaving together individual resilience with the broader challenge of holding institutions accountable. His dual role as playwright/actor infuses the work with raw authenticity while maintaining artistic distance. The production's 80-minute structure mirrors the fragmentary nature of memory, allowing Sefton to weave between past and present with calculated precision. Sefton's background as both actor and mental health counselor emerges in his portrayal of... Read more →
Joe Praml's "The Trick" weaves an intricate tapestry of human desperation and connection through the chance encounter of two businessmen and two call girls in a seedy saloon. The play's structural brilliance lies in its use of an external catalyst - a potential suicide across the street - to unlock the inner worlds of its characters. This device, reminiscent of Thornton Wilder's "The Bridge of San Luis Rey," serves as both a mirror and a... Read more →
Dan Ruth's "A Life Behind Bars" transforms personal struggle into theatrical alchemy. His solo performance excavates the gritty underbelly of pre-Giuliani New York City's bar culture, where dreams of stardom often dissolve into the bottom of a glass. Ruth's character work brings to life eighteen distinct personalities. Each one emerges from the shadows of dive bars and late-night haunts with startling clarity. Under Tanya Moberly's direction, Ruth navigates the fine line between comedy and despair.... Read more →
In "Control Anatomy," curator Rana Anani presents a haunting examination of colonial surveillance through the lens of Palestinian artist Mahmoud Alhaj. The exhibition, sited at Zawyeh Gallery, investigates the evolution of control mechanisms deployed across Palestinian territories, with particular focus on Gaza. Alhaj's work transcends traditional documentary approaches. It deploys digital manipulation and archival imagery to deconstruct the colonizer's gaze. His series "402 of Gray" dissects the apartheid wall's oppressive presence, while "Fragile" uses empty... Read more →
In "Happily Divorced," Ruth Brandt transforms personal upheaval into compelling theater. The result? A solo performance that navigates the complex terrain of marital dissolution with sharp wit and unflinching honesty. She draws from her background in comedy and culinary arts to weave together the threads of domestic life and personal reinvention to create a narrative that transcends mere autobiographical storytelling. Under Mark Hatfield's direction, the production eschews melodrama in favor of nuanced exploration of identity... Read more →
In "BIG HAIR: A Rad and Wild Love Affair," Maegan Mandarino balances homage and innovation, crafting a one-hour production that transcends biographical storytelling. Through her exploration of comedy legends Gilda Radner and Gene Wilder, Mandarino weaves a tapestry of vaudeville-inspired musical numbers and absurdist theater that speaks to both the heart and mind. The production deploys a layered approach to storytelling, utilizing rare film footage and interview clips as punctuation marks in a larger narrative... Read more →
In "Jane Austen in 89 Minutes," Syrie James orchestrates a bold temporal experiment that collapses the distance between Regency-era England and contemporary society. The production's meta-theatrical framework allows for a nuanced exploration of Austen's enduring literary influence while it critiques modern pop-cultural appropriations of her work. James, wearing multiple hats as playwright, director, and designer, demonstrates a deep understanding of both Austen's narrative techniques and contemporary theatrical conventions. The decision to set the play within... Read more →