Review Roundup: INITIATIVE World Premiere Opens At The Public Theater

Go inside the lives of a group of California teens in the Public Theater world premiere of INITIATIVE, a new play by Emerging Writers Group alumnus Else Went and directed by The Public Theater’s inaugural Directing Fellow Emma Rosa Went. Read the reviews!

Playwright Else Went, alumnus of The Public’s acclaimed Emerging Writers Group, brings her new play INITIATIVE to The Public this fall. A bittersweet reflection on adolescence at the dawn of the new millennium, INITIATIVE charts the intertwined lives of seven teens from 2000-2004, as they become friends and more than friends, wrestle with their potential, face incalculable loss, and struggle to find their way in (and get out of) “Coastal Podunk, California.” Emma Rosa Went directs this world premiere production.

INITIATIVE features Olivia Rose Barresi (Clara), Marisa Brau-Reyes (Understudy Clara/Kendall), Brandon Burk (Offstage Voice/Understudy Em/Lo/Tony), Greg Cuellar (Riley), Harrison Densmore (Ty), Carson Higgins (Lo), Andrea Lopez Alvarez (Kendall), Jamie Sanders (Tony), Jose Useche (Understudy Riley/Ty), and Christopher Dylan White (Em).

INITIATIVE features scenic design by Mikiko Suzuki MacAdams, costume design by Kindall Almond, costume design dramaturgy by Susan Hilferty, lighting design by Christopher Akerlind, sound design by Angela Baughman, prop management by Aisha Hamida, projection design by S. Katy Tucker, fight direction by Dan Renkin, intimacy direction by Laura Hackman, and dramaturgy by Sarah Lunnie. Janelle Caso is the production stage manager and Molly Foy is the stage manager.

Sara Holdren, Vulture: Initiative is stitched through with moments like these, like colorful patches on a heavy pall, little saving throws against the dark. Depending on when you were born and how much time you’ve spent rolling dice in basements, it might take you back, but its real achievement, bracing and compassionate, lies in its encouragement to keep walking forward.

Austin Fimmano, New York Theatre Guide: A five-hour play is certainly a tall order for most theatregoers. But for those willing to challenge their own attention spans, Initiative makes for a soft, pensive, introspective day at the theatre. Much like bingeing a miniseries in one afternoon, Else and Emma Rosa Went offer audiences the chance to watch four years of high school unfold on a stage, gloriously messy and precarious and rewarding.

Raven Snook, Time Out New York: Initiative isn’t flawless. The roles of Tony and Ty are underwritten, and a climactic tragedy seems contrived. And yes, the marathon running time—a rarity amid the current vogue for short, intermissionless works—can feel indulgent and overwhelming. But in a way, that's appropriate: Growing up can feel that way, too. It's a pleasure to get to know Initiative’s appealing characters so fully, and to wonder what might happen to them after the end of the play. Two of them, at least, seem to have made good: They went on to create this ambitious, empathetic, singular theatrical experience.

Bob Verini, New York Stage Review: I can’t say enough about the seamless performances, said to be the product of years of development work with director and writer. Not only is the cast – the majority of whom are in their 30s – fully believable as high schoolers, but I swear you can track their maturing over four years in subtle alterations of voice, gesture and carriage. It’s ensemble playing at its finest, and the best argument for funding permanent companies, not to mention establishing an American national theater, I’ve encountered in a long time.

Average Rating: 90.0%