Sara Barker

BWW Review: SUDDENLY LAST SUMMER AND TALK TO ME LIKE THE RAIN AND LET ME LISTEN at Avant Bard Theatre

Suddenly Last Summer a terrible memory was embedded in the mind of a woman, and she must now face an assault on her brain. Her cousin, the fastidious poet Sebastian, was spending a summer to write what was to be his last poem------but I am getting ahead of myself!

BWW Review: PANKRÁC '45 at Expats Theatre

Recriminations, reprisals and heart wrenching ruminations ensue as a group of five women face a time of purges and fear in the harrowing play Pankrác ’45.  Set in the infamous Pankrác Prison of Czechoslovakia during the end of the Nazi occupation in the year 1945, this trenchant and absorbing play by Czech Playwright Martina Kinská is an interesting melding of an historical context set against five very interesting character studies.

Expats Theatre will present its third production Pankrác 45 written by Czech playwright Martina Kinska and translated by Barbara Day.

Avant Bard Theatre Announces Next Season

Avant Bard Theatre today announced its next season, which marks a grateful return to live theatre after more than a year of remote performances and programming. This season also marks the first under Avant Bard’s five producing partners: artistic leaders Megan Behm, DeMone Seraphin, Alyssa Sanders, Dina Soltan, and Sara Barker.

BWW Review: SUDDENLY LAST SUMMER at Avant Bard Theatre

Tennessee Williams, in his lifetime, wrote more than 70 one-act plays - some just sketches, many that went unpublished until after his death in 1983 at 71.

Full Cast Has Been Announced For Avant Bard Theatre's Spring Repertory

Avant Bard Theatre has announced the full cast for the launch of their 30th Anniversary Mainstage Season, the Avant Bard Spring Repertory. The Rep features Avant Bard's long-awaited return to Tennessee Williams with Suddenly Last Summer, directed by Artistic Director Emeritus Christopher Henley.

BWW Review: SEA at Scena Theatre

I have to hand it to Scena Theatre- they consistently elevate interesting, international work. Director Robert McNamara brings Jon Fosse's SEA to DC for its US debut performance at the intimate DC Arts Center, and the performance will surely leave you thinking. Norwegian playwright Fosse, one of Europe's most performed dramatists, has been translated into over 40 languages and, in 2010, won the biggest prize in global theatre- the Ibsen award. There were moments on opening night when all the stars aligned: persuasive acting, poignant dialogue, precise movements, and inspired casting. There were also moments when pacing, language, and the play's inherent incomprehensibility made engaging with Fosse's work difficult.

BWW Review: WSC Avant Bard's A MISANTHROPE a Classic Farce

Director Megan Behm has embraced the world of old French farce, and crafted a contemporary satire that is as frenetic and slap-stick as it is wickedly witty. Minnicino's rhyming couplets constantly leave you gasping for breath with laughter, and every single member of the cast has honed their characters to their sharpest comic edge. There isn't a moment, a word, or a gesture wasted, and the way the actors literally throw themselves into their roles is a pure joy to watch.

Photo Flash: First Look at Avant Bard's A MISANTHROPE

Avant Bard presents A Misanthrope, a world premiere adaptation of Moliere's The Misanthrope by Manhattan-based playwright Matt Minnicino, directed by Megan Behm in her Avant Bard debut.

BWW Interview: Matt Minnicino of A MISANTHROPE at WSC Avant Bard

WSC Avant Bard's Script in Play Festival, started in 2016, has been an opportunity to test out shows for full production treatment through the guise of a series of staged readings and post-play discussions. Written and performed by rising professional talent, these readings have led to some memorable productions, including new versions of Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew and Twelfth Night and Lauren Gunderson's hit Emilie: La Marquise Du Chatelet Defends Her Life Tonight. In 2017, a reading of playwright Matt Minnicino's 'distillation' - not 'adaptation,' as we get into below - of Moliere's The Misanthrope was performed. Written entirely in rhyming couplets, it follows a professional cynic who falls in love with an ingenue, and finds his devotion to insincerity tested. Now, it's the capper of Avant Bard's 29th season. I spoke to Minnicino about his career thus far, the adaptation process, and why audiences should be excited for this show.