←Recommendations of New Oleanna

A fascinating delve into the intricacies of power-play dialogue with discussions that need to be held on stage! Loved the intensity of this show and hope to be able to see it staged soon.

I will be blunt. When I read the title, I didn't want to read the show, but I was so very wrong. Barr's two-hander is an intense dialogue and exploration that audiences and, maybe more importantly, theatres need to experience! Brilliantly written, easy to produce, and a story that needs to be shared now.

This play demands a talk-back. And a talk-back to that talk-back. Barr has written a magnificent two-hander about who controls the narrative. With apt criticism of the entire industry, but especially that of academic theatre, “New Oleanna” is the show we need right now, five years ago, and probably five years from now. Beneficial for any theater, big or small!

NEW OLEANNA takes on the task of causing harm within the complicated power structures of our society with a great amount of care and intelligence. It investigates the idea of intent and impact, including holding a magnifying glass up to the often repeated phrase "intention doesn't matter" and asking the characters (and the audience) to dig a bit deeper. This is an incredibly complicated play tackling incredibly complicated ideas, but Barr handles it expertly. You can't walk away from this play without talking about it for the rest of the evening.

Still haven't read Oleanna but it wasn't necessary. I got a lot out of this play and the way it explores gender and the difference between intent and impact.

I'm going to return to this play again and again for its intricacy, its plotting, its nuance and how unbearably compelling it is; on several occasions, I wanted to yell at the characters to make different choices while knowing they never would. NEW OLEANNA is a fascinating discussion about power, agency and the harm we can cause even when we're trying our best, and one that will stay with you for weeks after you engage with it.

This play accomplishes what Mamet merely points at. Precise, authentic, well-paced, while also being deeply haunting and tense as all get-out. I personally could not sit still while engaging with this play - it had me squirming with anticipation and discomfort and rage - CATHARSIS.

I've been thinking about this play since I read it last month. It's nuanced, timely, meta, and smart. It's accessible for all audiences, regardless of their familiarity with Oleanna, and will inspire complex debate in post show discussions that will last well after leaving the theatre. As a writer, I look at how tightly woven this story is, the many levels it exists on, and the interpretations of power and it leaves me humbled.