Justin J. Sacramone - Page 2

Brown Box Theatre Project and Icaro Theatro presents Boxer Shorts: A Cycle of Short Plays. From Water to Dust (del auga al polvo), playing at Boston's Atlantic Wharf through March 4th. This is Brown Box's second year presenting an evening of short plays. This year, the Project brings us four plays from Latin American Playwrights: Tape by Jose Rivera; Capricho by Nilo Cruz; Springtime by Maria Irene Fornes; and Bliss by Caridad Svich.

Identity and the search for it is a common thread that binds us. No other generation is currently battling with defining their own identity more than Millennials. It's ironic that the group of people on the front lines of electing the nation's first African-American president and fighting for social justice are also the same group of people who internally struggle with their self-worth behind closed doors.

In a blackout we hear shouting. The front door of a minister's house is kicked opened. Enter a man dragging in a native woman wearing rags. He hands her off to the housekeeper. The housekeeper barks a few commands and forces her into a back room. The opening scene of Underground Railway Theatre's must see production of The Convert, Danai Gurira's three hour intoxicating drama about 19th century Africa post-colonialism, is spoken in the native language of Shona. Although Shona is not commonly spoken in America, it is clear what we just witnessed. Freedom. Or so we believe.

Storytelling is theatre in its' purest form, but a story can often become secondary or lost when faced with spectacle. In a culture where overproduced mega musicals dominate the box office, it is refreshing to see A.R. Gurney's "Love Letters," a delightful bare bones, two person play with a single focus on human relationships.

When the author greeted the audience at the top of Bistany's Mysteries he explained that when he sat down to give us his latest novel, he realized suddenly he was staring at a partially blank page. Panicked as opening night quickly approached, Mr. Bistany had a brilliant idea: let the audience come up with the rest of the story. What resulted is an improvised comedic murder mystery hosted and guided by the author himself.

Actors are superstitious people. I have seen some pretty outrageous rituals in the rehearsal room during my time as an actor. It seems that during every step along the way from casting to opening night, the actor has something to keep them, and the production, safe. Don't speak the name of this play. Don't wish each other 'good luck'. Did someone remember to turn on the Ghost Light? With all of these superstitions aside, no amount of good luck can prepare a cast for the unavoidable. In the situation of Sh*t-Faced Shakespeare, which is now playing at the Davis Square Theatre and features one heavily intoxicated cast member surrounded by a troupe of sober actors, the hilarity lives when everything goes horribly wrong.

Artful Events and Gen Y Productions partner to bring Orlando audiences Cabaret at The Abbey. Sitting comfortably in the venue of this space, Cabaret feels so intimate that it makes me wonder why it took so long for Cabaret to be mounted in this venue.

The linguistics king of the stage, Mr. Stoppard is known for composing some of the most verbose plays ever produced on stage. The Coast of Utopia, a 9 hour, three play epic about Pre-Revolution Russia serves as a prime example of such loquacious writing.

Have you ever dreamt of traveling to exotic lands? Discovering new and uncharted territories? Coming face to face with some of nature's most dangerous creatures? If you answered yes to any of these questions, a membership into one of the most exclusive clubs in London could be just the thing for you. However, do not just ask for a drink at the bar or you could find yourself falling into a ridiculous matter of circumstance.

As December steamrolls into the station, we are reminded, over and over again, with tv ads, a 7 mile radius of traffic surrounding the Mall at Millenia, and tepid temperatures that the holidays are here. Despite all that, what causes the most turmoil with the holidays is that terrifying F-word. Family. Families and the holidays go together like, well, drinking and the holidays. At the Mad Cow Theatre, you will find all of those things living and breathing full life in an oddly optimistic staging of JAMES JOYCE'S THE DEAD that has enough energy onstage to put the Sun Rain storming by to shame.

"Be curious, not judgmental" these are not just wise words for a theatre critic, but for anyone planning on attending Mad Cow's production of I AND YOU playing through December 14th. Playwright Lauren Gunderson's new play, which was featured at Orlando Shakes 2013 PlayFest, is about hope and faith and how much of an impact they unconsciously play on a teenager named Caroline.

Animals creep me out. There, I said it. People often ask why I'm not more of an animal person. No longer will I have to search for the words to express my deep, unsettling feelings towards even the most cuddly of housepets. Perhaps the root cause for my emotional trauma is never being able to fully understand what is going through an animal's mind. So, imagine my reaction to a play that dives deep into an animal's inner monologue to try and make us understand the perils of deciding to house a wild animal. Now before we go any further, I must advise I am not talking about a passive Golden Retriever or snotty Siamese Cat, but an out-of-control, 14 year-old, 200 lb chimpanzee. Based on the true story of Sandra Jerome, who passed away in 2010 from an aortic aneurysm, TREVOR explores that age old question, 'What if animals could talk?'

It's always refreshing to see what our new up-and-coming playwrights are producing. Especially in an Orlando theatre season that is jam packed with iconic musical remountings. On November 1st - 3rd Orlando Shakespeare presented the 8th annual PlayFest: a celebration of new plays.

It's inevitable, like enjoying UCF's hypnotic production, that you'll come face to face with Her kiss. Aurora is her name and playing the dance of death is her game. All I can say is, 'Sorry' to those of you that missed out on UCF's KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN.

Cohabitation was a law that prohibited different genders and races from occupying the same nighttime residence. This was Florida's contribution to the repugnant Jim Crow Laws back. 1964 wasn't just a great year because it gave us HELLO, DOLLY!, it was also the year we got the Civil Rights Act, outlawing discrimination based on race, sex, and religion. Overnight, citizens from the all over the county welcomed change, adopted acceptance, and became enlightened musical-theatre loving philanthropists.

Season 18 at the Mad Cow Theatre Company is here, and up first: THE WHO'S TOMMY. The 1993 Best Musical nominee is considered to be Broadway's first Rock Opera turned Rock Musical. Shows like Greenday's AMERICAN IDIOT, Stew's PASSING STRANGE, and, more recently, David Byrne and Fatboy Slim's HERE LIES LOVE all followed. But it was The Who that first took their concept rock album and turned it into a warm-blooded stage musical. In doing so they attracted a younger audience (that once looked at Musical Theatre as something their grandparents listened to on vinyl) to Broadway.

'It's the language that terrifies me', trembles Anna, a single school teacher, after learning she has been diagnosed with a fatal illness humously known as Acquired Toilet Disease. Acquired Toilet Disease, or ATD, is no laughing matter! Most commonly contracted through public restrooms in school classrooms, ATD is sweeping the nation and spreading faster than a youtube video.

Vernon Gersch, a 70's songwriter, is a punctual and sarcastic stick in the mud and Sonia Walsk practices candor and tardiness. So when he proposes to join forces with Sonia it is clear from the start that these two are going to make a comedically disastrous pairing. A score by Marvin Hamlisch and Carole Bayer Sager and jokes by Neil Simon, THEY'RE PLAYING OUR SONG is a passe musical about the real-life relationship of Hamlisch and Sager. It is also The Winter Park Playhouse's third show of the season, conveniently starring the Company's Executive and Artistic Directors.

Few things in the world give me the same sensation like experiencing a new play for the first time. We all love the classics and how they are constantly being reinvented, but nothing beats a first viewing of the unfamiliar. Whether good or bad, new plays are excitingly fresh and make the most memorable theatre going experiences.

Alan Bennett's masterpiece, now celebrating its 10th anniversary, documents senior boys and the educators responsible for filling their minds with knowledge. When the Headmaster of an all boys school brings in Irwin, a young and ambitious teacher who believes education is applicable only to the exam for which he is preparing the boys to take, Hector, the tenured eccentric general studies teacher who believes in cultivation, is rocked and sent to fight for his job. A debate on education is not the only theme here; sex, unrequited love, religion, failure, friendship, scandal, and an existential breakdown to name a few are all found in this loquacious play.