As someone who is a part of Generation X, I’m always intrigued to hear stories about the previous generation, Baby Boomers. Born between 1944 and 1964, their name comes from the uptick in the post-WWII birth rate. If you really want to understand someone better, I believe, you should start with where they came from, so I’m always looking to […]

A modern audience that sees the world premiere of Wickedest Woman during its run at the WP Theater will know abortion as a controversial topic. The morality of the medical procedure is frequently contested as states introduce laws to restrict access to abortion. This narrative would be familiar to the real Ann Lohman, aka “Madame Restell,” the midwife and abortionist whose […]

In the new production of Yasmina Reza’s Life x3 by the New Light Theater Project, the host of a disastrous dinner party (Henri) laments the insignificance of human beings and their personal lives in comparison to the universe. One of his guests (Ines) counters that human beings and their personal lives are what make the universe interesting, asking, “Where would the […]

Bernie and Mikey’s Trip to the Moon, playing through December 2nd with the Strangemen Theatre Company at 59E59 Theaters, is the first full-length play by Scott Aiello. A note from Artistic Director Val Day mentions that the play is inspired by Aiello’s relationship with his sister, who has a disability. The story’s roots in personal experience is hardly surprising, because the […]

“I’m a person.” This line is said by all three female characters in Escape, a new play that just completed its run at the 2018 New York International Fringe Festival. The context is different each time, but each woman has the same plea and the same demand: to have her humanity respected and taken seriously. It’s a request that neither […]

In a century where American citizens are bitterly divided over politics and uncharacteristically laser-focused on the upcoming midterms, The War Party (playing for five performances in The New York International Fringe Festival) couldn’t be more timely. Playwright Vincent Delaney chooses an intriguing protagonist for his portrayal of this contentious era: an incumbent Republican Senator suffering a crushing defeat to a […]

Straight people have a tendency to view gay people as breakers of tradition, or rebels against the status quo. Whether this perspective manifests itself in bigotry and discrimination or in a positive appreciation of gay culture, it effectively categorizes gay people as “other.” With their vibrant subculture, they are seen by straight people as changing or challenging tradition. Gay people are […]

Let’s Get Ready Together, written by Lizzie Stern and directed by Lily Riopelle, is a story about the friendship between three young women navigating their first semester of college. It is a story about daughters separated from their mothers for the first time, and the young women’s need for continued closeness with their mothers, conflicting with their desire for independence. […]

As Latinos, we are raised in a world that believes, even if it’s rare, in a certain magic. We are surrounded by it. In stories, in land, in the way the morning welcomes us. There’s a magical aspect to our lives that translates into our artistic ambitions. Magical realism is our art, created and based on our perspectives and how we […]

Pace. When someone asks me what is the most important thing when it comes to storytelling, I tell him or her without hesitation that it is pacing. Not the story, since a skilled director can improve that. Not the characters, as the plot can make up for the lack of interesting personalities. Not the setting, as sometimes the dialogue can […]