Laurie Sara Oliver

We Americans should not be too proud to admit we owe the Brits for a few important things - Harry Potter, earl gray tea, a lot of great music, and, to a certain extent, the 19th Amendment.  

What did our critic think of MERRY WIVES at Harman Hall? Shakespeare Theatre Company is opening their 40th Season with Merry Wives, pulling one of Shakespeare’s lesser known plays into modern day Harlem while retaining all the impact of the original work. 

Dungeons & Dragons The Twenty-Sided Tavern is not just a play. It’s an active (albeit simplified) D&D campaign set in the Forgotten Realms. There is an expert Dungeon Master (Conner Marx) and a Tavern Keeper (Alex Stompoly) who serves as his partner in crime. The two of them manage live storytelling, special effects, and the rules of the game, which is played by a rotating cast of three player characters - and you. 

What did our critic think of ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND at District Fringe?

August Wilson is one of America’s greatest playwrights, and The Piano Lesson may be one of his greatest works. The writing is so powerful, I’m not sure you could stage a bad version if you tried. 

Live theater is one of the oldest and best art forms for exploring inner conflict. When it follows in this tradition, Tarrell Alvin McCraney’s newest work, We Are Gathered, is interesting and effective. 

In WOMAN ON FIRE, currently performing at the Creative Cauldron in Falls Church, Virginia, playwright Marisela Treviño Orta tells a haunting story that blends elements of Greek tragedy with a contemporary setting to delve into themes of border politics, cultural identity, and the enduring power of empathy in a small Arizona border town in the aftermath of 9/11.

MAROONED! A SPACE COMEDY, played at the Kennedy Center’s Family Theater over the weekend. In its simplicity, the performance shows the universality of human emotions and experience which transcend age, background, and even language.