Play Review: Circle Mirror Transformation

Circle Mirror Transformation
by Annie Baker
directed by Andrea Allen

I am a subscriber at the Seattle Repertory Theatre. They have a great deal where anyone under 25 years of age can get tickets for only $10! Every year I go to see five plays at The Rep. The first play of this season for me was Circle Mirror Transformation.

Synopsis: In an artsy small town, an unlikely collection of strangers sign up for Marty’s “Adult Creative Drama” class: a recently divorced carpenter, a high school junior, a former actress, and Marty’s husband. Unfolding like a charmingly funny indie film, the group plays Marty’s imaginative (and sometimes awkward) theatre games. But as their relationships develop over the course of the summer, the seemingly silly games generate some real-life drama. This delightful comedy from new playwright Annie Baker landed on Top Ten lists of The New York Times and The New Yorker for 2010. ~ The Seattle Repertory Theatre

This was a great play about a group of people who attend an improv class and their lives are communicated to the audience through improv games. I found this concept extremely interesting because when I was in college I took an improv class my freshman year and found it to be a very empowering and enjoyable experience. You can learn to be confidant and brave through improv because whatever you simply work with whatever comes. You don't over think what you're doing and you just go with it.

Back to the play... this is probably why I identified most with the young, shy character of Lauren. Lauren certainly finds strength and self-awareness throughout the play. By the end of the play she appears to be one of the characters who truly grows and moves forward.

Which brings me to another great thing about Circle Mirror Transformation!  This play is part of The Rep's YES project. I think that The YES project is one of the great things about the Seattle Rep. The YES project works to promote young theatre goers and young playwrights through fining and developing plays for their stages that feature youth protagonists and/or have a curriculum tie-in, as well as their Playwriting Project and TeenSpeak program.

I always loved drama and plays in school; this was a wonderful experience that I recommend to everyone!