Joey Madia, New Mystics Reviews

  (London/New York: Routledge, 2022). ISBN: 978-0-367-74888-3 With the COVID-19 pandemic almost all but behind us (although two Broadway shows were shut down last week because of lead actors testing positive), the theatre community is trying to get back on its feet and back to work. As a playwright, script doctor, director, artistic director of a theatre company, and actor, I’ve met with the challenges, repercussions, and sometimes joys of cutting scripts for over thirty years. Audiences, while able to sit in a movie theatre for three hours to watch, for instance, this year’s The Batman , are far more impatient when it comes to the length of stage productions, which makes it especially difficult for those specializing in Shakespeare and other public domain classics of considerable length. In a perfect world—as opposed to the theatre, which thrives on imperfection—plays would always be the perfect length. After all, a playwright is a skilled technician specializing in conflict...

 (Santa Fe, NM: Z Productions). Fyodor Dostoevsky is recognized by many as one of history’s greatest novelists (myself included). Crime and Punishment is ubiquitous in high school and college literature classes, and Notes From Underground , the Brothers Karamasov , and The Idiot beg numerous readings over the course of one’s life. His novels dig deeply into the human psyche, tackle complex moral issues, and are rich in both characterization and imagery. That said, I knew little about the personal life of the man whose novels were part of the reason why I became a writer. And so it was, with no hesitation and great interest, that I accepted the request to read and review this play, which, as the playwright tells us, “was inspired by events in Dostoevsky’s life.” “Inspired by” is a phrase I much prefer in place of “based on a true story.” It gives the writer ample room for interpretation, as “inspiration” indicates the writer’s role clearer than “based on.” Because of “ins...

“Dreams pass into the reality of action. From the actions stems the dream again; and this interdependence produces the highest form of living.”—Anaïs Nin The relationship between dreams and our corporal existence on Earth is the meaty stuff of centuries of philosophical and theological discourse and Jon Lipsky—noted playwright, theatre professor, and leader of dream theatre workshops—has contributed a well-organized and vibrant new book to this ongoing discussion of the nature and meaning of the moving images that play on the cave walls of our sleep. Geared for both the theatre practitioner looking to use dreams to enhance the study of acting and the non-theatre dreamer wishing to better explore the layered meanings and images of his or her dreams, Dreaming Together is divided into an Overview section and four parts, dealing with, respectively: (1) solo dream enactment, (2) ensemble dream enactment, (3) dramatic dream enactment, and (4) dream enactment in daily life. Lipsky serves as a...