by Macey Levin The Berkshire Theatre Group’s world premiere production of Kathleen Clark’s What We May Be has a few problems, the major one being the script itself. Clark, the author of the highly regarded Southern Comforts and Secrets of a Soccer Mom, has thrown together a script that…
by Roseann Cane A small gem of a play, now in its world premiere at the Williamstown Theatre Festival, Adam Bock’s Before the Meeting presents a look at the human struggle to heal, a precious thing to witness during these troubling times. Every morning, a small group of regulars…
by Barbara Waldinger Kevin G. Coleman, the Director of Education and founding member of Shakespeare & Company, and runner-up for the Tony Award for Excellence in Theatre Education (2016), believes that “The Merry Wives of Windsor is Shakespeare having fun. Period. No grand themes. No deep waters.” And that’s what…
by Roseann Cane Henrik Ibsen (1828-1906), often referred to as the father of realism in modern theater, created a body of work that unflinchingly examined social mores (including marital roles), hypocrisy, religion, and ethics. In his day, theatergoers found themselves shocked and scandalized by the subject matter he explored as…
by Barbara Waldinger Nestled in the southeast corner of Columbia County is The Ancram Opera House, formerly a grange hall built in 1927. Currently, according to co-directors Jeffrey Mousseau and Paul Ricciardi, one of the missions of this intimate performing space is to “showcase contemporary theatre and alternative cabaret” by…
by Macey Levin In a motel room in New Mexico a small group of relatives meet the night before they are to attend a funeral for another family member. Rachel Bonds’ play Curve of Departure draws out the love these people have for each other as they touch upon…
by Lisa Jarisch In college I had an English professor who was fond of saying such and such a play, or this, that and the other literary work, or some particular personal hobby, were intended to be, and should be taken as, nothing more than “great good fun”. With its…
When I tell people that the most produced playwright writing in the English language, aside from William Shakespeare, is a woman, they get all excited. When I tell them that that woman is Dame Agatha Christie they immediately deflate, “Oh,” they say, disappointment tinging their voice, “She doesn’t count.”…
