Growing up is painful. The body changes, the mind expands, and the heart, well, the heart tries to keep up with the strange horror show. And the world that looks on as this change occurs can often feel like a dangerous place, mysterious and cunning. Such is the mindset of Helen Pafumi’s Abominable, offering us […]
You, or Whatever I Can Get
Dating is fun. Wait, did I say fun? I meant horrible. Dating is horrible. One would think our hyper-information-digital-social age would soften the blow – or at least weed out the crazies – but the truth remains: While previous generations settled down faster and younger, Generation Y remains on their own unique domestic timeline. However […]
The 27 Club
Brian Jones, Jimi Hendrix, Amy Winehouse, Jim Morrison, Janis Joplin, Kurt Cobain. Their names are firmly cemented in Rock n’ Roll history, forever associated with musical genius, loyal fans and lasting legacies. But these names are also associated with tragedy, the unfortunate loss of their lives, all at the age of just 27 years old.
Malevolence
“Don’t Stand So Close To Me” is among my favorite songs by the Police. The story of a student-teacher scandal is deceptively upbeat and hummable, but addresses the grave issue of inappropriate teacher-student relations. There are two sides to every story, and Timothy R. King gives us one side in Malevolence.
About a Girl
Everything is big in Texas, or so I’ve been told. Big sky, big land, big opinions, big accents. So to be a Texas teenager, in the 1980’s no less, must have been a tall and interesting order. Eddy Roger Parker’s About A Girl takes us back to Texas in the 80’s, introducing us to four […]
The Hello Girls: Unknown Heroines of WWI
I’m angry. There, I’ve said it. I’m angry. Most young girls aren’t raised to be angry. Many other things, yes, but angry, no. So to enter the world, and begin to get the feeling that gender equality is still a struggle, playing fields aren’t always equal, and women are mistreated on a shocking, global scale, […]
The Sunshine Boys
Comedy is a lot like music, constantly evolving according to tastes, culture, and age. Ask your grandmother who the best comedian around is; it’s doubtful she’ll respond with “Aziz Ansari” or “Louis C. K.” (If your grandmother would indeed respond in such a way, congratulations on having the hippest grandmother.) But while tastes may change, […]
Stop Kiss
When Diana Son’s Stop Kiss premiered at New York City’s Public Theatre in November of 1998, the questions caused by the tragic death of Matthew Shepard still hung in the air. Words like “hate crime” and “homophobia,” though much a part of the American experience, had only begun to fall on to the ears of […]
Agnes Under the Big Top
I did not enjoy the circus growing up. The attractions smelled of woodchips and perspiration, the animals looked too large for their cages, and God only knows, I’d think to myself, when that so-called tent-pole is going to give. There seemed to be so much at stake. Written by Aditi Brennan Kapil and directed by […]
Almost Together
Have you ever had the dream where you go to work naked? You look down and realize all at once that strangers and friends are staring in shock, and your feet won’t take you away from the shame fast enough? Now get on stage and talk about your naked dream, your worst nightmare, the problem […]
Dementia Melodies: “It Ain’t Over Til It’s Over”
There’s an elderly woman on an assisted living floor somewhere spinning carelessly to a song from her childhood. She’s young again, and she’s joyful, failing to notice the stares and gossip of her floormates.
The Shirt of Happiness
My earliest memory of experiencing theatre is not a pleasant one: it involves blindingly lit animals playing instruments very poorly, with mouths that appear possessed by demons.