←Recommendations of Winter People

Deeply theatrical with a dreamy backdrop and some huge retina-burn moments (Claudia's "Spring" moment??? Wreck me!), this play is sharply crafted and inventive as the 5 families blur across generations. The stakes are driven by the wonderful drama of the mansion fire and the racial/financial tensions it inspires, but even more driven by these 5 teenagers standing on the edges of themselves, confronted with decisions so beyond their years. Nuanced. Intentional. Really, really smart writing. I love this play! College programs would be especially wise to produce it!

How do our actions, even without our knowledge, shape the fortunes and futures of others? Just how easy is it to act selfishly, without regard to how our actions will effect someone else?

By looking at the social strati between "Locals," Laura is able to confront privilege in really subtle and varied ways. The conceit of using five women to play all the characters also made sense to me—it unites everyone in the play through their embodiment. I was struck by the idea that one major event can have incredibly wide-reaching consequences, which people respond to differently.

This script wants to be on a stage. Great roles for 5 women/non-binary actors to dig into, as they play different people in their families throughout the show.

I would love to see this play staged multiple times, by different directors, each bringing a different visions, because that's what Winter People supports. It is massive in scope, cinematic really, but Neill has also made it something that can be executed so simply and so cleanly. It demonstrates the true power of theatre. Neill presents the (smoky, sandy) essence of a story and trusts that our imaginations will fill in around that essence.

Oh I just love a play that MUST be a play -- and this absolutely is. This play uses a vocabulary of theatrical deceptive-simplicity to paint a very full-feeling portrait of a complex and fractured community. Thematically rich and urgent, and full of fantastic scenes all worthy of thorough study.

I saw this workshop at the BPT and there is such an astounding mosaic of complex people within this script! This deeply intersectional play uses doubling in an effective and affecting way. A perceptive and nuanced piece, it moves at an almost meditative pace, though still constantly building up to a satisfying climax and resolution.

A beautiful play exploring the intersectionality of class and race of The Hamptons, Long Island. Touching and smartly written.