Branden Jacobs-Jenkins Questions Workers’ Choices by Patricia L. Morin Watching ACT’s streaming version of “Gloria,” I miss being a participant—there’s nothing like live theater. But I enjoyed how MacArthur Fellow playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins explores young workers competing in a toxic show-biz office, like Entertainment Today. He drops us into a smartly designed sterile office…
Gary Soto Pens Play for Latinx Teens in Distress by Robert M. Gardner In Gary Soto’s “The Afterlife,” two Fresno teenagers, Chuy and Crystal, die in the opening minutes. Chuy is murdered for an unintended slight, and Crystal kills herself. They are the victims of an alarming spike of teen deaths from violence and…
Millennial Notes Sedef Ecer Depicts Social Outcasts in Urban Slum by Jordan Freed Turkish playwright Sedef Ecer and translator Evren Odcikin bring us a fascinating story, shedding light on Istanbul’s continuing conflict over urban refugees. “On the Periphery” is exactly the kind of theater we want to see, giving voices to people and struggles…
Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ Rat-Race Delivers Comedy Gold by Tanvi Agrawal & Barry David Horwitz “Gloria” leaves us thinking about the rat-race that Millennials face—how exploited their lives can be. Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ witty comedy makes delicious fun of their high-pressure bubble. The office competition has destroyed these zine writers’ human sympathy—even for each other. These copywriters…