←Recommendations of The Mirror

Who knew that a bathroom mirror could be so powerful?
Swenson reminds us that mirrors are the only place where we can truly perceive ourselves, and what we see may well be up to us.
After reading this play, I am full-on sobbing (I'd say "ugly crying" but I don't think Mirror would approve of that).
THE MIRROR is beautiful and inspiring, and shows us the three characters (and the audience) that the people they want to be have been inside of them all along.
Please don't pass up a chance to interact with this gorgeous play.

This is a real treat for actors, with some great opportunities for creative blocking and staging. I love how the mirror becomes a personal avatar for each person, turning not just into who they think they are, but who they think they should be. A funny and poignant look at how we all see ourselves. Great work!

I enjoyed Swenson's use of dialogue in this play, which reminded me of Beckett and Pinter plays, i.e., the audience is required to think a little. (A compliment!) It expresses the fear we all have from time to time, figuring out who we are, what's wrong with us and finally, optimistically, what's right with us, if we take the time to look. I recommend this excellent, unusual play and hope it gets a production.

We all have that negative voice in our heads. We all know what it’s like to feel disgusted with ourselves, and then try to mask it out in the world. Swenson’s “The Mirror” is a theatrical parable that shows us how our lives can change if we simply accept the person we see in the mirror. Using magical realism is highly effective as we catch a glimpse of three people unknowingly searching for something within themselves. The Mirror tells them what they already know, yet validates them in the way they need. Wonderful piece to edify an audience!

Everyone knows the hardest conversations are the ones you can have with yourself and Joe Swenson has perfectly captured that in this piece. I love everything about this piece. I love the way its set out, I love the variety of characters and the events we are privileged to learn about in their lives that have led them to this moment and I love the journey they go on when they are faced with the hardest thing to do...talking to yourself. Its a beautiful touching piece.

In 'The Mirror', Joe Swenson takes a common enough private ritual - talking to the mirror - and adds in a beautiful twist when not only does the mirror talk back, but the mirror is a truth-telling representation of self. As each character speaks their doubt, fear, and self-loathing into their own faces, the Mirror calls them out and asks them to see things differently. A really interesting take on self-motivation and a nice challenge to stage.

We know that mirrors are honest, but the world might be a better place if every mirror were as kind as the mirror in this piece! Joe Swenson introduces us to three strangers in a liminal subway restroom, where they learn to confront their own self-perception and come to recognize that they're the ones in control. Imagining how someone might stage this piece is half the fun! The dialogue is spare, which makes it uniquely rhythmic. There are a lot of cool opportunities for movement and design here waiting to be realized.

Ah, this is such a lovely notion! What if we all stop a minute and take a look in the mirror to address our issues, maybe they will not be as big as we think they are? For some reason I had the Michael Jackson song 'Man in the Mirror' running through my head while reading this play! Imagine casting this play with three sets of twins!