Yasmina Reza Unmasks Ego & Vanity by Barry David Horwitz and Patricia L. Morin Yasmina Reza’s “Art” (1994), translated by Christopher Hampton, took the theater world by storm—it’s a brazen attack on the value of abstract and overvalued paintings. As a French woman playwright, Reza has taken on the art world and male pretensions,…
Gunderson, Smith, Spector Unfold Personal Crisis by Patricia L. Morin Aurora Theatre has come up with an experimental, three-part, audio thriller called “The Flats”—part play and part character study. Three local playwrights and their director have collaborated on a drama centered on the terror of a looming world disaster—akin to what we face…
Anna Deavere Smith Reignites Struggle over Police Brutality by Patricia L. Morin Twilight: Los Angeles, the PBS movie, resurrects the explosive problem of police brutality. Raging riots ignited over the acquittal of four officers who savagely beat Rodney King on March 3, 1991. Now, thirty years later, we are faced with the murders of…
Madhuri Shekar Explores a Compulsive Gamer’s World by Patricia L. Morin World of Warcraft—WoW—is an actual online role-playing game that Madhuri Shekar creatively weaves into “In Love and Warcraft.” Shekar’s play tells us about the young gamers’ frustrations, their avatars, and real-life crushes. Choosing one’s own avatar empowers these gamers in special ways. Shy…