Review: HANDLE WITH CARE at Studio Theatre

Hello, readers. I’m glad you clicked on this review, and thanks for being here. 

Pat yourself on the back for supporting regional theatre. Seriously. Do that now. Now continue reading. 

What follows is a review of the theatrical experience now playing at Studio Theatre called Handle With Care. It’s not your typical show, and so this won’t be your typical review. If I’ve caught your attention, and you’d like to know more, keep reading.

Still here? Great. Proceed to the next paragraph.

I’ve done my best in the paragraphs above to match the vibe of Handle With Care, but my efforts are feeble compared to the creativity on display at Studio by the Belgian theatre collective, Ontroerend Goed. This collective is described as “[producing] self-devised work grounded in the here and now, inviting their audiences to participate as well as observe.” Emphasis on that last part. As Studio Theatre advertises, “audience participation is strongly encouraged for this production.” 

It would be a disservice to future audiences and the piece itself to give too much away, so I’ll do my best to dance around the details and preserve the surprises. What I can say is that Handle With Care has, without a doubt, the most interesting start to a show that I can recall in my many years of participating in theatre. 

There’s a relatively small box on stage and nothing else. No actors, no set, no costumes, no scenery. The whole show is contained inside this box. 

In fact, the show doesn’t even technically start until an audience member opens the box. My lips are sealed on exactly how that person is selected, but it wouldn’t matter anyways because it will inevitably be different for each performance. 

That’s the beauty of the performance I saw and how it will be for future audiences. The audience is in control here, and you will experience something different than we all did this past Wednesday night. 

Once the brave soul who stepped forward at my performance took the plunge, a whole wave of curiosities came our way. This theatrical experience, as I’ve decided to call it, allows for a myriad of possibilities to unfold through a series of whimsical tasks, letters, clues, puzzles, and group projects. 

For example, one particularly eager gentleman spent a solid 10 minutes or so taking drink orders like a flight attendant on a jam-packed haul out of DCA. One woman had a phone conversation with her mother on stage. A mother, I might add, who was preparing to move the latter to another country in the coming days. That COULD happen at your performance…but it also might not? 

As we’re told at some point early in the proceedings, “nobody knows what will happen here.” 

It’s audience participation meets escape room meets a living chain letter (remember those?). Once the box is opened, it truly is up to the vibes of the room. The box has a sequence, a few instructions, and a few helpful guidelines here and there (plus an emergency box just in case), but those are merely there to suggest where the boundaries of the sandbox are. Or at least where the creators recommend they should be. 

The box also lets you know that you are part of this living, breathing life within the box. You realize you are the next stop on this show’s journey, and it’s delightful how it captures previous performances and the audience memories that came with it. Plus, you get a chance to add your own piece of history to the box. Comically, my group unanimously decided that, as DC residents heading into a very important month of November, we wanted future groups to know we could all use a good stiff drink. 

Are you lost yet? Good! That’s kind of the point. Or maybe it isn’t. There aren’t any real rules here. Or maybe there are. We’re having fun. Let’s continue.

What really struck me the most about this experience was just how much it is dependent on the folks in the room and their energy. Have too many Type As in the room? You can bet the pacing of the show will be a bit slower, and tasks will be seen through to their conclusion. Have a lot of folks who want to hang back like wallflowers? Expect a totally different experience.

While more traditional theatregoers might find this annoying, I’m personally energized by the creativity of the piece and especially its complete reliance on sitting back and letting the action flow as it wants to throughout the room. 

Ontroerend Goed presents one interpretation of what theatre can be in 2026 and beyond. In this climate of declining revenues, tightening budgets, and a multitude of entertainment options, this type of experimentation is critical and welcomed. We so often hear or read about broken models in this industry, so why not make more space for work like this? 

And it’s not just the structure of the experience that I’m still thinking about as I write this. One audience member connected the “6 Minutes of Chaos” sequence in the show to life itself, and honestly, that’s the best metaphor I can think of for the show. Like the show, life is often dependent on the people you’re doing it with and the seemingly random tasks that you have to accomplish along the way. And just like life, this show won’t be nearly as enjoyable unless you work together. That’s a pro tip for future audiences without spoilers, by the way.

There’s only two things really working against you when considering whether or not to attend Handle With Care. First, it’s a very limited run. The show opened this past Wednesday and closes October 25, 2026. Additionally, there’s a limited capacity of seats per performance, which is by design. So, now, your instruction is to use the link below to purchase what remaining tickets there are for a performance that fits in nicely with your schedule. 

As for me? Well, I have to start thinking about what I intend to wear for the party my fellow audience members scheduled for early December. Shoutout to the lovely Owen for agreeing to host. I’ll be there around 5:30. 

Handle With Care runs from now until Sunday, October 25 in Studio Theatre’s Stage 4. The show is by the Belgian theatre collective, Ontreorend Goed. The runtime for the show is as long as it pleases on any given night…with no intermission. 

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