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The Oktavist by Vince Gatton

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  • Nora Louise Syran:
    9 Jan. 2023
    “ "Terrifying and glorious, all at once." The power--like what Lorca referred to as the "duende" --of certain voices that "climbs up inside you, from the soles of the feet." A voice, a call that rumbles, causes your very foundations to tremble. Love the image of the priest fixing the cracks. A lovely short play. Well done. ”
  • Ross Tedford Kendall:
    9 Jan. 2023
    “ A gem of a play that shows there are more things happening than you may realize. On the surface, a young man desperately wants to be part of something that he has no qualification or hope of achieving. That in itself would be enough for most, but playwright Vince Gatton then shows the deeper layers. A quiet but powerful piece. ”
  • Scott Sickles:
    9 Jan. 2023
    “ There's a moment in this play where I just went, "Ohhhh. Oh, honey, no..."

    I almost wrote, "In early 20th Century Russia, it was hard to be..." but there's never been a time when it was easy to be anything in Russia. It's a hard place in every respect, especially societally.

    Leave it to Gatton to find warmth, fragility, and even tenderness in this cold climate. The lower the notes go, the higher this play soars. The revelations are bittersweet reminding us just because you fix a crack in the wall, the crack is still there. It's just full. ”
  • John Minigan:
    9 Jan. 2023
    “ A stunningly beautiful play. Sometimes, like Dmitri, we don't know the true meaning of our epiphanies, and it takes those who understand the meaning to allow us to understand, without ever saying themselves what it is. Clear, witty, richly textured. With wit, some pratfalls and, ultimately, with feeling that goes octaves deep. ”
  • Claudia Haas:
    8 Jan. 2023
    “ A play where what is left unsaid is as important as the spoken dialogue is rare and hard to do. Gatton crafts a beautiful tale of epiphanies, desire, and self-realization that stops your heart. The play’s power draws you in as you fully invest in the characters - so much so that by the end - you are wishing all good things for Dmitri. And you want to know what’s next. And you think about that for a long time. ”
  • Paul Donnelly:
    7 Jan. 2023
    “ The historical setting and well-drawn characters draw us in, but it is the subtle revelation of subtext that gives this play its enormous power and impact. ”
  • Jennifer O'Grady:
    6 Jan. 2023
    “ I adore historical plays and love them even more when they're able to lift us out of their period into our own, as Gatton's skillful play does with its beautifully-realized characters and still-vital themes. So much going on beneath the surface of this moving and poetic play. Deserving of many productions! ”
  • Raven Petretti-Stamper:
    5 Jan. 2023
    “ This piece blew me away. The setting, the situation and the reality of what it was all about so much bigger than the beginning would have led the reader, me, to believe. A stunning piece about the cloaks we sometimes don't know we're wearing to hide the truth. The characters are there, the subtext is there, the plot is there. I sure as heck hope this has been performed a thousand times because it deserves it. ”
  • Jillian Blevins:
    5 Jan. 2023
    “ Desire is more complicated than we want to believe; the feeling of want can be so powerful that it obscures what may have sparked it. THE OKTAVIST is an ode to the ecstasy and the misery of all-consuming, blinding desire.

    The setting—a Russian church 100 years in the past—would be inspiring to designers and directors alike, and has a moody specificity that carries Gatton’s metaphor well. Queer stories set in the past like THE OKTAVIST are an important reminder that we have always been here, and that we are part of the fabric of history. ”
  • Christopher Soucy:
    5 Dec. 2022
    “ Fantastic, simply fantastic! That there are times when we can keep secrets from ourselves is a marvel. I love that this play explores how someone might follow the interpretation of deep desires to a misguided attempt to fulfill them. How frustrating life is without a roadmap. Lovely and weighty, The Oktavist is a stellar short play. ”

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