Is This A Room

See it if you want to hear, verbatim, the FBI interrogn of RWinner. My stomach was in knots. Emily Davis is terrific (deserves a solo curtain call!)

Don't see it if you want tradl theater.While there's an arc, ITAR is talky w/simple staging. Redactions aren't filled in. Brings news story to life. Intense

See it if You are fascinated by interrogations. This is an actual one but staged.. and done well.

Don't see it if You prefer musicals or narrative plays.

See it if Verbatim transcript turned into a stunning play. FBI agents do an exquisite job of interrogation. Great characterizations & mastery of text.

Don't see it if You won't enjoy a revealing nonfiction work -- the agents care about RW's pets to gain her trust, while trapping her into lies.

Also It was fascinating to see the facades & senses of humor of RW and the agents as they navigated an extremely tense situation. It was so insightful, so real.

Remarkable use of positioning of actors on a bare stage to create a pressured claustrophobic feeling.

Of course we are left with the question: patriot or criminal?... Read more Read less

See it if you want to see a uniquely-staged, compelling docudrama literally ripped from the headlines that offers a rare glimpse into FBI practices.

Don't see it if you don't think that the banality of small talk & official procedure can be arresting theater; ur not interested in political theater.

Also What a tense, taut, smart performance by Emily Davis as Reality Winner!... Read more Read less

See it if Good start. FBI exposed? Nice use of pets. Interesting season for Vineyard

Don't see it if Needs more follow up. Not sure if "roamer" is needed. Set is minimal.

See it if Dynamic performances (esp Davis' Reality) & Satter's acute staging propel this docu-drama (actual testimony) into a surreal dreamlike realm

Don't see it if Drawing from the literal transcript for a dramatic mise en scene doesn't allow for any embellishment Dramatic tension is amazing nonetheless

See it if you’d like to engage the question: What constitutes patriotism when the president has gone rogue?

Don't see it if the very idea of actors enacting a verbatim transcript of an FBI interview, with all the banal small talk, bores you.

Also What constitutes patriotism when the president has gone rogue? The 4 (pitch perfect) actors of “IS THIS A ROOM” enact a verbatim transcript of an FBI interview. I hadn’t expected it to be so affecting or so consistently gripping. This is “devised” theater at its most pressingly topical. Agents interview a woman who leaked a NSA document to the press: The document simply confirmed that the Trump campaign made Russian contacts. The woman who leaked the doc is still in prison. The man whose campaign colluded with a foreign power to throw a presidential election still sits in the oval office where he eats, watches TV, tweets—& invites other foreign powers to collude in throwing the next presidential election. This spare, direct, haunting production does a better job of (indirectly) engaging the full horror of these times in this country than anything I’ve seen since the tainted election that made a deranged, self-centered, amoral gasbag the most powerful person in the world.... Read more Read less

See it if like true stories: here a transcript of an actual FBI interview, want to know more about Reality Winner & FBI's manipulative questioning

Don't see it if you want an evening of character development & closure, easily aggravated by FBI mis-behavior, care for pets, don't care about Ms. Winner

See it if Kafkaesque; staging brings 2 life the transcript, but it's the raw acting by Emily Davis as Reality that grabs u by the throat

Don't see it if missing items obscure story: omits clarifying redacted items from transcript; omits key reveal SPOILER: Reality sentenced to 5+ yrs prison

Also There are many issues external to the play that the play causes you to think about such as: Was Reality's punishment proportionate to the crime she committed where the report she provided to a news source apparently did no harm to the US? And does it make sense to punish whistleblowers like R so severely when they are critical sources of information about wrong-doing? The play itself gives you a good sense of what it's like to be an isolated citizen facing the full might of the state. Alternately foreboding and heart-breaking, Reality's experience in the interrogation is Kafkaesque, akin 2 a bug being squashed by a tank.... Read more Read less

See it if you're interested in American history in the making, or you're looking for something vastly different from anything else you've seen.

Don't see it if you prefer a traditional narrative with a beginning, middle, and end.

See it if You’d find it interesting to watch an FBI questioning and arrest enacted on stage almost exactly as it happened.

Don't see it if You’re expecting to learn about Winner or her crime. The script has very little info, so you have to read up before or after the play.

See it if Sixty real-time minutes divulge whistleblower's actual home interrogation."Have you ever discussed classified IranianAerospace information?"

Don't see it if Eight flashing fuschia lights&drumbeat emphasise the redacted parts of this brief thriller."Is there something that sent you over the edge?"

Also "Reality, this might be about possible mishandling of classified information."... Read more Read less

See it if You are interested in a brilliant depiction of an actual event that is still ongoing in our nation today ! Political espionage is your thing

Don't see it if You are looking for a light comedy. You don’t enjoy simple staging with very sparse setting and those with just one subject.

See it if you are interested in seeing a theatre company stretch their muscles into new territory. A completely novel idea executed beautifully.

Don't see it if you do not enjoy political theatre.

Also It is a shame that this production has a limited run as it is completely sold out. It should extend or transfer to give others the chance to see this unique piece of non-fiction theatre. I was totally enthralled from the beginning, and the whole evening just flew by. Excellent performances by a cast of four.... Read more Read less

See it if FBI agents question traitor who printed & gave to media top secret NSA methods that could harm our nation. Real time, w/some redactions.

Don't see it if May want to Google words such as TDY, PKI, Fort Meade to get more out of show. Very well acted, great lighting. 70 min flies by.

See it if word 4 word portrayal of a true story that is well acted, produced & directed; Emily Davis is brilliant as a woman with a conscience.

Don't see it if you need fiction, sets, color and/or costumes; gut wrenching reality is not your idea of a good evening.

Also I found this play informative and absolutely riveting. My sympathies were with the protagonist (Reality Winner), and I felt her growing fear for herself and the well being of the pets she would be leaving behind. Absurd coincidence between the reality of the play and the character's name.... Read more Read less

See it if Effective interrogation, subtle psychological shifts. Not a showdown of masterminds but of uncertain moral agents. Gray area drawn perfectly

Don't see it if you're looking for tear-jerking pathos or commentary—either a partisan slant or a dutiful debate contrived to represent all sides.

Also Some reviews here—even positive ones—led me to think this would be about unscrupulous feds/police crucifying a helpless ditz. That is not the case. I’m actually thrilled with how everyone is portrayed. The naturalism is impeccable. No character types, forms, symbols, or arcs. There are only people, behaviors, motivations, and pressures. There’s almost no artifice getting in the way of the psychological veracity. Satter keeps the show compelling without sensationalizing or preaching. Sensitive and political, but not prescriptive.... Read more Read less

See it if A enactment of a transcript of a woman's interrogation by the FBI. Horrifying and relevant. Hard to believe this occurred here, but it did.

Don't see it if If you prefer your shows to have beginning, middles and ends. If you are uninterested in political drama.

See it if You want to learn the story of woman leaking classified government info. Transcript of actual arrest.

Don't see it if You want a long show. Only one hour. Reconfigured theater first few rows moved to oppposite side of stage. Too often someone’s back is

Also facing you so hard to hear. No set.

See it if you've ever wondered what an FBI interrogation could be like, this is a verbatim enactment. Makes you uncomfortable.

Don't see it if you want a theatrical production. Bare-bones staging lets the dialogue tell the story. Confusing at first, had me hooked by the end.

See it if you want to see a timely true depiction of Reality Winner's interrogation by FBI agents. The 70 mins completely held my attention.

Don't see it if you need action. All talk, but what a fascinating reenactment. Superb acting, especially by E. Davis. Her every facial expression rang true.

See it if you want to see BRILLIANT & POWERFUL USE OF THEATER to illuminate issues of power, conscience, & law. Fascinating concept; great acting.

Don't see it if you're not interested in politics, policy, whistleblower issues. Taut and gripping 75 minutes with 4 impressive actors on a bare-bones set.

See it if You want an absolutely compelling show, with great direction and acting. Uncomfortable yes, but so true to life.

Don't see it if You don't care for the political, and can't appreciate great acting when it comes in the form of quotidian, flat, real life.

See it if you're interested in Reality Winner's case or want to see a show commenting on real text.

Don't see it if you need a show to have a clear structure.

See it if The idea might be OK, but not the performance. Was grateful when it ended.

Don't see it if You are hoping for a gripping true story