author: Lilou Von Kokoro
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Friday night was cold, raw and blustery, but as I entered The Strand Theatre, I was warmly welcomed by Producer Elena Kostakis. I wasn’t sure what to expect but let me tell you— this was not just a performance; it was an experience. Interactive would be an understatement! To quote their program, “Welcome to the immersive production of alight, Sweet hearted.”
alight,
“That when I come back to them I may be fonder and prouder than ever of my little women”
Ever since its first publication in 1868, Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women has captured the hearts of millions of readers all over the world. But considering at its face value the story of Little Women seems to be a mere fictional story focused on the 19th century domestic lives of four young American women living in genteel poverty,
From the very first millisecond of Barbara Khan’s The Lady was a Gentleman, I knew I was in for a wonderful treat! In an instant, the production begins and the audience is swept into an aura of light, and energy, and laughter. Led by a brief dumb show that allows the characters to take the stage and give a silent, yet physically over exaggerated sense of who they are, the production immediately becomes alive and allows for a fantastic transposition from the mundane world into the world of a St.
Crisis Mode: Living Pilipino in America at the Strand Theater
“If every Filipino lit a candle at the same time, we would light up the world”
The popular American narrative is one based around how this nation was built on people immigrating to these shores from a variety of other lands in search of work, opportunity, or security (whether by choice or by force). Additionally, the brutal historic reality is that this narrative has always been carefully focused on specific populations at specific points in time,
“Madness is that much closer to death”
The current production at the Strand Theatre caused me to reflect on not who I am, but rather who I think I am. We all do it. Whether it is second guessing yourself, staying inside not because of COVID but for fear of being seen, or even trying to live up to what we think society wants us to be. Bottom line is we are far quicker to see the worth in someone else before we see it in ourselves.
Sometimes it’s the little things in life that teach us the greatest of lessons. Sometimes we see things and think that everyone sees the same thing. Sometimes we need our eyes opened, to understand our experiences may not be the same as others, even if we have just been part of the same event. Director Aladrian Wetzel makes those sometimes a reality in The Strand’s latest production, Black Super Hero Magic Mama,
A Shayna
Maidel is a play I had never heard of, and that’s really a shame,
because it was a powerful experience that left me thinking, for days. I’ve seen favorite plays performed in an
underwhelming way, and also saw a play I didn’t anticipate liking performed by
such talented thespians that I was converted to a fan, but the real treat with
this particular production of A Shayna Maidel,
She wears a window on her heart, ellen cherry does. And if you’re fortunate enough to attend the limited engagement performance of Portraits in Song you’ll get to glimpse through this portal into a vast emotional galaxy of complex understanding when it comes to storytelling and setting flight to the voice of Gynaika. Making its Baltimore debut as a part of the She Speaks Second Series offered at The Strand, solo performer and creator ellen cherry,
Surprises and baking do not mix. But surprises, much like baking for some, are a part of life. And you must learn to embrace the surprises along with the expected and the planned, lest you find yourself guarded off in a fortress, trapped from the rest of the world— be it in the reality of your mind or the actual reality of your physical existence. In a delightfully baked surprise, The Strand Theater company welcomes the world premiere of Amy Bernstein’s Exit Pluto to the stage as their second mainstage feature during this inaugural season in their new home in Hamilton.