Crazyface
May 28, 2009 by Debbie Jackson
Filed under Features, Our Reviews
This greatly anticipated season finale shows why Constellation Theatre received the 2009 Helen Hayes Award for “Outstanding Emerging Theatre Company.” Crazyface features all the company’s trademarks Read more
The Marriage of Figaro
January 27, 2009 by Debbie Jackson
Filed under Our Reviews
The Marriage of FigaroWritten by Beaumarchais, adaptation by Allison Arkell Stockman
Directed by Allison Arkell Stockman
Produced by Constellation Theatre Company
Reviewed by Debbie Minter Jackson
Constellation Theatre Company has mounted The Marriage of Figaro, a “physical comedy about class,” with all the sophistication, wit, and zeal of a seasoned ensemble. There just seems to be no end in sight for this young dynamic company that has tackled Greek drama, political allegory with Vaclav Havel, Szechwan and Arabian tales in its two year history, and now they can add French farce to their amazing history. Read more
Temptation
October 14, 2008 by Steven McKnight
Filed under Our Reviews
Temptationby Václav Havel
directed by Allison Arkell Stockman
produced by Constellation Theatre Company
reviewed by Steven McKnight
Václav Havel’s Temptation transfers the classic Faust story to a modern scientific institute in a totalitarian country with healthy doses of political satire and absurdist humor. It is a challenging work, but Constellation Theatre Company’s production succeeds due to an inspired creative team and a talented cast. Read more
The Oresteia
May 19, 2008 by Debbie Jackson
Filed under Our Reviews
The Oresteia - Written by Aeschylus; Translated by Robert Fagles
- Adapted and Directed by Allison Arkell Stockman
- Produced by Constellation Theatre Company
- Reviewed by Debbie Minter Jackson
They did it again. Constellation Theater, just finishing its first season yet already establishing a track record of stunning productions, has added a spectacular rendering of Greek tragedy to its repertory. With a cast of almost thirty actors, a percussionist on stage, moodily placed fog and mist, and a huge coliseum set with columns that extend to the expansive rafters of the Clark Street Playhouse (lighting and set design by A.J. Guban), The Oresteia transports the audience to an ancient time to witness the essential core of theater. These folks are unstoppable.
The Good Woman of Setzuan
April 8, 2008 by Debbie Jackson
Filed under Our Reviews
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Written by Bertolt Brecht. Translated by Eric Bentley
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Directed by Allison Arkell Stockman
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Choreographed by Ashley Ivey
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Produced by Constellation Theatre Company
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Reviewed by Debbie Minter Jackson
In this fun-loving cautionary tale, Shen-Te, winningly played by Katie Atkinson proves to be a good woman, pleasing to the gods, sacrificing her own needs and well being for everybody else’s interest, and attempting to marry for love. Except for the pleasing of the gods part, the rest of the premise could come straight out of any contemporary reality show filled with gaggles of friends and relatives having their say, action and reaction shots of the main character wrestling with conflicting emotions, some desperately trying to do the right thing in a “What’s in it for me?” society. Read more
The Arabian Nights
October 3, 2007 by Janice Cane
Filed under Our Reviews
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The Arabian Nights -
By Mary Zimmerman
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Directed by Allison Arkell Stockman
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Produced by Constellation Theatre Company
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Reviewed by Janice Cane
Constellation Theatre Company’s production of The Arabian Nights, now playing at Source Theatre, is a good show. It’s not a great show, and it’s not a bad show. It’s just … good. The set, lushly carpeted with dozens of Persian rugs, sets the mood perfectly. Percussionist Tom Teasley plays his exotic musical instruments at all the right moments to heighten the level of drama on stage. Most of the actors play their parts with a great deal of enthusiasm. But somehow, when all of these elements come together, they lack that special something that makes a good show spectacular. Read more
A Dream Play
June 21, 2007 by lorraine treanor
Filed under Our Reviews
by August Strindberg
Adapted by Caryl Churchill
Produced by Constellation Theatre Company at the Source Theatre
Directed by Allison Arkell Stockman
Reviewed by Tim Treanor
Does the D.C. area really need another professional theater? You bet it does. As long as theater has important things to say, and theater professionals have the wit and craft to say them, we will benefit from it no matter who the producing company is - as this wildly ambitious, somewhat uneven but generally successful production shows. Read more






