Izolda Trakhtenberg

When you're at a crossroads and there's no one to talk to, what do you do? You listen. "Listen!" explores the profound and often hilarious wisdom we express when we think no one is listening. A world-renowned and a bit world-weary woman traveler/writer has spent the last 25 years traveling, listening/eavesdropping, and writing about the human experience she overhears. Her funny and profound commentary on what we say in our unguarded moments has made her a household name (think of her as a modern-day Greek Chorus). Chorus returns to New York City and her favorite coffee shop after decades away and meets up with an old college lover. Telling her he still loves her after all this time, he asks her to marry him out of the blue. He shocks her but gets her thinking. She tells him she needs time to think about his proposed insanity. She spends the rest of the day eavesdropping on coffee shop conversations about love, lust, sex, plant sex, relationships, marriage, and even toilet training to make sense of his question and the decisions she must make to move forward. Please note: 98% of the conversations Chorus overhears took place in coffeeshops or on the streets of cities all over the world. One story extends by two sentences. The other's violence has been subdued. The playwright overheard and transcribed each one to give us a fly-on-the-wall view of our very human insight into ourselves, each other, and our world.

On a busy afternoon ride on New York City's A Train, a group of women—tourists, locals, and a mother—share a subway car. The mother, MOM, is caught in a humorous yet tense FaceTime exchange with her ten-year-old son, Drake, repeatedly urging him not to board a train. As the conversation unfolds, the other women become involved, sharing their own maternal experiences and offering advice. The play captures the humor and camaraderie that arise from their shared struggles, culminating in a heartwarming reunion between MOM and Drake at Times Square. "Don’t Get On the Train" is a slice-of-life comedy-drama that celebrates everyday connections and small victories.

On Election Day, Madison and her grandma Natalia bring pizza to a local polling station, sparking a discussion about the significance of voting. Madison expresses her disillusionment with the electoral process, but Natalia, a new citizen from the former Soviet Union, shares her appreciation for the right to vote, having never experienced it before. Inspired by her grandmother's story, Madison decides to raise her voice and participate in the election.