Collective Noun

See it if You’ve got an anarchist in you just dying to get out, or if you’re struggling for words to help you make sense of these emotional times.

Don't see it if You support that aged orange hunk of profanity in the White House right now or if you’re offended by the idea that you might be the problem.

Also I loved, Loved, LOVED this show. Some really odd directorial choices...like the laugh track...but I can’t say I didn’t love them too. Lots of quirky stuff going on. Kept me on my toes and I like that. It never got preachy while still maintaining a strong statement and I like that too. It made me question my values and motives more than once and I REALLY like that! Did I mention...I loved this show!... Read more Read less

See it if A show about politics and social injustice. A wordy play that goes nowhere.

Don't see it if A wordy lecture about politics. A direction that is all over the place. A play that preaches rather than a play.

See it if you want to see a young adult generation engaging today’s crucial issues, & be entertained while doing it.

Don't see it if you are looking for a traditional play or feel that theater & politics shouldn’t mix.

Also This theater experience is a bit of a mess & I loved every minute of it. And that mess is in the service of a higher purpose. All 4 engaging characters—young adult New Yorkers of different race, sex, ethnicity, orientation, marital status, class—are as complicated as real life. And the issues these young adults face—racism, sexism, student debt, a failing criminal system, climate collapse—are not easy to engage. We the audience are situated in a messy, large Queens living room-library with a kitchen to the side, that occasionally becomes a hall for a religious service. Because these characters engage us, the issues they hold up for public questioning engage us as well. It helps enormously that they repeatedly surprise us, themselves & each other. Nothing is solved: the mess remains. But I haven’t thought this hard politically in a theater in a while, & never anywhere have I seen so clearly into the frightening future through the eyes of a 20-something, engaged progressive New Yorker.... Read more Read less

See it if you are willing to bear the first 20 minutes that are a bit confusing and loaded with too much sound track, but then it turns to importance.

Don't see it if you cannot sit for a long period without an intermission, do not like the action around you or are impatient for the story to come forward.

See it if you like plays written from a young female perspective and can handle "issue overload".

Don't see it if exploration of current issues doesn't interest you or you have trouble following speedily recited monologues.

Also I could have done with less of the laugh track/sound effects.

See it if It's something of a celebration of people fighting to change the system. But it's very much preaching to the choir.

Don't see it if It feels like a college lecture much of the time, and not in a good way. I thought I should be taking notes. The characters are clichés.

See it if As much as I wanted to enjoy this corkscrew theater Festival production with its young actors and playwrights unfortunately I did not.

Don't see it if Although the actors weren't bad this play was tedious boring and was way too long I noticed a few people leaving for the exits early..

Also I felt the play could have been cut by at least a half an hour and they had this annoying laugh track that they kept playing endlessly. The script needs some serious editing and revision... Read more Read less

See it if You like thought provoking plays. It seems they have some good talking points about politics, min wage, but purely arguments, no solutions.

Don't see it if You are easily aggravated by people beating around the bushes. Strong performance but weak arguments.No actionable solutions, felt pointless

Also The seating arrangement is too intimate, it may be uncomfortable at times during the show. The play tried to imply certain concepts about Communism, religious faith, politics, immigrants... that I do not agree with. The writer definitely has something to say, but not in a way, making 75% of the cast homosexual and implying they are smart women doesn't really work...... Read more Read less

See it if You want a list of the ills of the world in sound bites. A crash course in injustice with unnecessary sound effects

Don't see it if You are looking for something light and fluffy to escape the horrors of today

See it if you're interested in stories about queer women, women of color, leftist politics, 20-somethings in NY, and/or American political change.

Don't see it if you don't like loud sound effects or are looking for a slightly more developed point. It felt like this one has good ideas but isn't ready.

See it if you enjoy radical feminist, socialist, or emerging playwright pieces, you've seen Girls and you like it or you don't like

Don't see it if if you absolutely loathe Millenials, liberal thinkers, or quirky staging

Also Collective Noun is an early piece in the playwright's career. The script itself is packed with a lot of information - not all of it relevant to the plotline, but it is there out of neccessity. At times, the dialog can be overwhelming in its content, which works at times and becomes cluttered at others. The overall plot arc sufferes as a result of all of the monologues as it isn't clear until very late in the play what is and is not important to the plotline. Ultimately, a lot of the early rants overshadow the argument which linchpins the story.
That acting was fairly strong, although some actors could carry themselves with more confidence to match their characters' outgoing personalities.
The staging was interesting - a mix of theatre in the round and a procenium stage. It works for the show, although some may not want to be so close to the action. No audience participation is required.... Read more Read less

See it if you like a play with lots of ideas by a playwright with tons (too much?) to say.

Don't see it if you value a clear narrative over diatribe.

Also I often found myself leaning into moments of this play, moved by the improvised Persian New Year ritual, entertained by an unexpected turn of phrase, and roused by the political injustices described by the characters. But for me this play sunk under the weight of too many ideas. Haleh Roshan clearly is a voice on fire, but for all the fury she needs a strong narrative spine around which to build her politics, something at stake to hook us and make us care, and to pull us through the event. Direction of this show was poor. (When you introduce a bold choice like a laugh track, you might want to give the audience some sense of it's purpose, or it's meaning in the world of the play). A couple actors never truly felt grounded in their reality. Akyiaa Wilson and Justin Fuller were the exceptions, doing simple, moment-to-moment work that felt connected and honest. I did not dislike this play, but wished it were 30 minutes shorter.... Read more Read less

See it if you want awareness on the issues plaguing society today.The Corkscrew Festival presents up-&-coming writers & @HalehRoshan is noteworthy.

Don't see it if you can't handle fast-paced real conversations and sitting in the middle of the action.

See it if you care about workers' rights and NYC's criminal justice system. This is a heavy political drama with an immersive audience.

Don't see it if you want to see a light-hearted play.

Also Terrific acting! These three actors deliver a heart-wrenching performance. A sometimes-annoying laugh-track is a metaphor for the world laughing at their worries about their future following the Occupy Wall Street movement. Only negative: the play veers from workers' rights to NYC's criminal-justice system in the final few minutes, then returns to worker' rights. Write another play for that issue-don't lose the play's focus.... Read more Read less