Brennan Paulin

Election years can bring out the worst in anyone regardless of where their politics land. It is a time where we as Americans can exercise our right to vote, and while that can provide some promise for change, a lot of the time it feels like a test of our nerves.

Check out the shows coming up in Dayton, Ohio in fall 2024. The last two shows they will be producing are THE GLASS MENAGERIE and THE THANKSGIVING PLAY. Considering they've been a staple of Middletown for the last 46 years, I highly encourage readers to add these last two shows to their calendars in support of this group so they can go out with a bang.

We are back with our second analysis of a local INTO THE WOODS production, this time with The Epiphany Players Drama Ministry. Epiphany has been around since 1991 providing summertime musical theatre opportunities for performers young and old. This group is obviously a religious-based institution, so their mission revolves around providing a supportive space rooted in Christian values.

It has been 5 years since I last saw a production at Beavercreek Community Theatre. It didn’t hit me until writing this, but it was June 2019 when I saw CABARET at BCT, and it’s a little baffling to me that it has been that long.

What did our critic think of INTO THE WOODS at TheatreLab Dayton?

INTO THE WOODS, one of the most produced musicals all over the country, and one of the most popular of the Stephen Sondheim cannon. Why is this musical that clashes all of the Brothers Grimm fairy tales into one multiverse so widely beloved and so often performed by high schools, community theaters, and regional companies? Why does it seem like every man who does musicals has The Baker as one of his dream roles?

What I am about to share with you is an experience that I hope all theatre-goers in the Dayton area get to experience at some point in their lives. You hope that the next play or musical you attend will provide the entertainment or the emotional journey that all audiences crave.

Let’s face it, the world of theatre, at times, can be misogynistic. Even though we joke about the multitude of gay men that are involved in theatre, that does not mean it is exempt from the repercussions of “the patriarchy”. As a gay man myself, I understand this problem all too well, but here in Dayton, we have luckily had some incredibly impactful pieces that were not only led by women, but speak upon the experiences of womanhood.