Recommended by Iraisa Ann Reilly

  • Iraisa Ann Reilly: Stoo's Famous Martian American Gumbo by Matt Barbot
    “

    I've never read a better analogy for assimilation that when chocolate ice cream melts into pistachio ice cream. Barbot creates a community full of children that celebrates the immigrant experience through food- every ingredient makes us even better, and differences are to be celebrated. A sweet and endearing look that acknowledges the experiences that many children in the US face today. Barbot creates a TYA show that brings joy, yet does not sugar coat. It teaches important lessons with multiple languages through the universal language of food.

    I've never read a better analogy for assimilation that when chocolate ice cream melts into pistachio ice cream. Barbot creates a community full of children that celebrates the immigrant experience through food- every ingredient makes us even better, and differences are to be celebrated. A sweet and endearing look that acknowledges the experiences that many children in the US face today. Barbot creates a TYA show that brings joy, yet does not sugar coat. It teaches important lessons with multiple languages through the universal language of food.

    ”
  • Iraisa Ann Reilly: Into The River I Went by Nelson Diaz-Marcano
    “

    Diaz-Marcano deftly creates a world that combines horror, magical realism, generational trauma, and racism. Demons are personified and people are not polite, but ultimately these characters come together over the scars that they share. A classic "I thought it was one thing, and then it was another". It is a world where I imagine the set design and the landscape plays as much a role as the actors. Theatrical in every sense, this play offers a surprising and refreshing moment of hope in the midst of horror, which is certainly a timely theme.

    Diaz-Marcano deftly creates a world that combines horror, magical realism, generational trauma, and racism. Demons are personified and people are not polite, but ultimately these characters come together over the scars that they share. A classic "I thought it was one thing, and then it was another". It is a world where I imagine the set design and the landscape plays as much a role as the actors. Theatrical in every sense, this play offers a surprising and refreshing moment of hope in the midst of horror, which is certainly a timely theme.

    ”
  • Iraisa Ann Reilly: The Brightest Sun
    “

    Roa utilizes magical realism in telling the unseen stories that reside beneath our bridges, in the workplace, in our homes, and schools. They weave elements of magical realism in creating a world of "trash" that dissolves into a beautiful mural that seeks to provide hope in darkness. The women of the tribe depend on no one and each other for survival, with the appearance of a mysterious visitor who haunts the world. This play is a dance, a mural, and a reminder that we are all part burn out, blow up, and fake.

    Roa utilizes magical realism in telling the unseen stories that reside beneath our bridges, in the workplace, in our homes, and schools. They weave elements of magical realism in creating a world of "trash" that dissolves into a beautiful mural that seeks to provide hope in darkness. The women of the tribe depend on no one and each other for survival, with the appearance of a mysterious visitor who haunts the world. This play is a dance, a mural, and a reminder that we are all part burn out, blow up, and fake.

    ”