ahnnalise
Interview with Sarah Whelan, the Playwright of “White Rabbit”
Today, Sarah Whelan and I sat down to talk about her play, White Rabbit, which will be read on Sunday at 4 PM! Here is a transcript from that conversation Me: How did this play start? S: So I was, well I’ve always been fascinated with how people react to tragedies or war and how […]
The Artistic and Moral Failure of 13 Reasons Why
Let’s begin with the power of stories. I’m gonna take us WAY back, and take a look at Plato’s Republic. In Republic, Plato paints a picture of an ideal society. In it, he attacks the concept ‘mimesis’. Mimesis roughly translates to imitation, meaning any kind of art when a writer or performer pretends to be […]
If You Liked This Album, Check Out This Playwright! Pt 3
And we’re back . . . If you liked Marry Me by St. Vincent . . . . . . . check out Jen Silverman! I was introduced to St. Vincent on a 2016 mixtape made by a dear friend. I would listen to ‘Actor Out Of Work’ while driving my mom’s truck through the backwoods of […]
If You Liked This Album, Check Out This Playwright! Pt. 2
I know y’all have been very patient . . . If you liked To Pimp A Butterfly by Kendrick Lamar . . . . . . check out Amiri Baraka! Did Lamar’s silver-tongued politics over live jazz make the last few years bearable? Did his poetry-packed lines help to release a battle cry within you? […]
If You Liked This Album, Check Out This Playwright! Pt.1
I’m giving the people what they want. If you liked Rainbow by Kesha . . . . . . check out Tomson Highway! If your world was shook-eth by Kesha dropping her latest album after a five year hiatus, then do yourself a favor, and let Tomson Highway’s plays rock your world. What’s so incredibly […]
A Love Letter To Caryl Churchill
Dear Caryl, I know, I know, it’s been far too long. I think I was sixteen last time we saw each other, and then briefly two years ago in a dramatic literature class. And each time, young people aren’t quite sure what to do with you, but they’re fascinated. After having explored the world of […]
Rick and Morty and Harmon and Roiland: Part 2
Welcome back, folks. Now that I’ve validated your love for Rick and Morty, I’m gonna challenge it. Hey, what does James Baldwin say, friends? He says: “The role of the artist is exactly the same as the role of the lover. If I love you, I have to make you conscious of the things you […]
Rick and Morty and Harmon and Roiland: Part 1
Admit it, you love Rick and Morty. Even if you don’t watch it religiously, even if you tell your friends it’s too depressing, even if you’ve only caught your friends watching a couple of scenes: admit it, you love Rick and Morty. Not because it’s hilarious (it can be), not because Justin Roiland is deft […]
On Peeking at Audience Response Forms on the 9:15AM Bus Back to Boston
Just a peek. I’ll take what I can use and leave the rest. They’ll help me contextualize my own notes from the staged reading. I look at the drawings that I requested first: lots of double decker sets, scribbles of inner turmoil, a noose or two and stick figures galore. I take a breath, […]
Excavating Whiteness 1
As an artist, I have come to learn that my moral compass drives most of my creative decisions. Coming from a hill town community in Western Massachusetts and attending a performing arts charter school that offered ELA electives focused on race informed my perspective in ways I’m grateful for to this day. To embody my […]
Drama Lit Blog 2.0: BU School of Theatre 