Suzanne Willett

Mr. Nelson’s play is a more of an extended dialectical argument than a play in the dramatic sense.  He does address many philosophical themes, questioning in particular the superiority of function over human form.  Humanity is a central theme here, and in the future of this play, there is no room for it.  Themes of profiting off the penal system and punishment are also touched upon.  Viewers should be aware that they will be challenged by the arguments Nelson makes from God t

Archduke centers on toxic masculinity, using the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand as its vehicle.  For me, this theme was not fully clear during the first act.  In Act I, it seemed that Joseph's play was centering around themes of death, mortality and the meaning of one’s life within the context of young men.  This is due to the initial scene with Gavrilo and Nedeljko.  They talk about how tuberculosis will cut their life short and what have they done with their live

Since last season I have been seeing more and more companies addressing the economic/political climate directly and Boxcutter continues this essential work and does it with wonderful campy humor.  Dimension Zero is a musical/puppetry/sci-fi romp centering on the toxicity of capitalism.  My understanding of the story (I do not have the script) is that an alien Zenda vows to help emancipate the low-paid labor of orphaned children working for a Mr. Walters, a billionaire.  Zenda