New Haven Arts Paper — March 24th, 2025

It’s mid winter. Two lamp posts illuminate an abandoned street. Smoke drifts upwards from a sewer grate; snow softens the steps of anyone venturing out in early morning light. The first figure to appear is a man in a black coat with a yellow scarf and the head … of a rat.

New Haven Arts Paper — October 22nd, 2024

Four girls stand center stage in tidy FFA (Future Farmers of America) jackets. Nineties pump up music blasts over the speakers while they perform a near-animalistic ritual of preparation, hyping themselves up for the battle ahead. At the zenith of their frenzy the lights shift, and the girls drop into the quiet reality of a regional horse judging competition.

New Haven Arts Paper — June 14th, 2024

Some things cannot be translated with words alone. Adil Mansoor, creator of Amm(i)gone gives his audience an example of this phenomenon with a particular piece of text from the Quran. While the direct translation into English misses the meaning, Mansoor guides those gathered into a theatrical moment that captures the heart of the text. 

New Haven Arts Paper — May 13th, 2024

Four lanterns hung above a small table, glowing softly against a green tablecloth and matching green curtains. Beneath them, two flower wreaths basked in the light. A fifth lantern rose up from a coil of wire. In the center, a video showed maker Cameron Ross-MacCormack bringing them to life, step by methodical step. 

New Haven Arts Paper — April 9th, 2024

Friends and supporters of Elena’s Light gathered at Yale’s Schwarzman Center last Saturday for “Lighting the Future,” an awards ceremony honoring the exemplary leadership of women in Connecticut’s refugee communities. Award recipients Azhar Ahmed, Nour Al Zouabi and Hossna Samadi were presented with honors for their dedication and service in Education and Advocacy, Social and Health Equity, and Leadership and Social Service respectively.

New Haven Arts Paper — November 22nd, 2023

We begin looking at an empty chair, a few books piled around it and two soft lights on either side. Without fanfare, Kathleen Chalfant takes the stage holding a copy of Joan Didion’s The Year of Magical Thinking. The lights stay up on the audience as Chalfant leans in with familiarity. She states: “This will happen to you.”

New Haven Arts Paper — October 17th, 2023

It’s the day of a wedding—but the ceremony we see is not of a bride and groom. Instead, five women gather at a mirror. The one in white asks her dearest and closest friends how she looks in her wedding dress. There’s a pause. Then one replies, “You’re like a sexy avalanche victim!”

New Haven Arts Paper — August 23rd, 2023

When Master Ford suspects his wife of cheating, he sets into motion an extremely simple plan.

New Haven Arts Paper — June 14th, 2023

Have you ever become emotionally attached to a paper plate? After watching La Fille Du Laitier’s stirring Macbeth Muet, I have. This wordless performance uses mime, music, clowning, and puppetry of everyday objects to tell a virtuosic version of the Shakespearean classic.