Shocked the Audience

Review of Into the Woods at the 5th Avenue Theatre

Written by Mohammed Ali during an Arts Criticism workshop at Glacier Middle School

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Into the Woods is a Musical about drama, love, and loss.

It's about a group of people: The baker, The baker's wife, Cinderella, Rapunzel, Jack and the beanstalk and more facing different challenges along the way.

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Beautiful Story but Also Tragic

Review of Into the Woods at the 5th Avenue Theatre

Written by Jasmin Hernandez Romero during an Arts Criticism workshop at Glacier Middle School

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Would you believe me when I say that the play Into the Woods was the best play I ever saw. The play was amazing, the avenue theater was so fancy and the actors were amazing and everything in the play felt so realistic and the actors really played their character well. The plot was so lovely it went to love to loss. The characters were really funny.

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A Great Play Worth Watching

Review of Into the Woods at the 5th Avenue Theatre

Written by Sebastian Fajardo-Moreno during an Arts Criticism workshop at Glacier Middle School

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The play Into the Woods was a beautiful play there were many characters like The Baker, Like the Baker's Wife, Jack, Cinderella, Rapunzel, Cinderellas Mean sisters, Etc. But Into the Woods is a play about It's a Musical with action drama Characters. It has thoughts in it there's many different movies in one play. and imagine if there's a Witch that could put a horrible curse on you or a Cow as white as milk or hair as yellow as corn or A cape as red as blood and A slipper as pure as gold and Into the Woods is about community and helping one and another and I would recommend to watch it yes it’s very expensive but you only live once and that's why I think you should watch Into the Woods.

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Very Entertaining and Unique Play

Review of Into the Woods at the 5th Avenue Theatre

Written by Sharleen Cruz during an Arts Criticism workshop at Glacier Middle School

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Have you ever seen the play Into the Woods It is a very entertaining and unique play. It's a musical and fairytale play consisting a bit of romance , betrayal , suspense , action , and mystery. The play has dramatic plot twists and has a theme to it. It is hosted in the Fifth Avenue Theater in Seattle W.A. In my opinion I would say to go watch the play Into the Woods in the Fifth Avenue Theater and here are my reasons why.

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A Beautiful Play with Great Morals and Characters

Review of Into the Woods at the 5th Avenue Theatre

Written by Luna Walker during an Arts Criticism workshop at Glacier Middle School

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I am reviewing Into the Woods which we saw as a school it is a musical by Stephen Sondheim is a mix of a bunch of classic fairytales mixing the morals plot and characters and intertwining their stories in the first act and then in the second act creating a completely new story with all of the characters. It also introduces new morals from the intertwined stories and uses the woods as a metaphor for change. My opinion is that Into the Woods is an amazing musical having seen the play many times before 5th avenues acting lived up to the musical's name. It has great actors and the set works really well with the transitioning between scenes and most importantly the morals of the story are amazing and still relevant despite this musical being written in 1986.

But the acting itself makes me say everyone should try to see the 5th avenue production of Into the Woods. Into the Woods is about Cinderella, a baker and his wife, Little Red Riding Hood, Jack and his mother, and a witch’s wish. Cinderella wishes to go to the ball, the baker and his wife wish for a child, Little Red Riding Hood wishes to visit her granny, Jack and his mother wish for money, and the witch wishes for her youth and beauty back. All of these wishes take them IInto the Woods and all their stories intertwine, mostly held together by the baker and his wife, and also a mysterious old man who keeps appearing in all of their stories. And then in the second act there is a giant in the land which is when this becomes its own story not based on the plot of the fairytales at all the second act follows they’re journey attempting to defeat the giant and losing beloved ones along the way and how they react to said losses.

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A Mystical and Immersive Experience

Review of Into the Woods at the 5th Avenue Theatre

Written by Khaison Le during an Arts Criticism workshop at Glacier Middle School

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The play Into the Woods at the 5th Avenue theater, is a bewitching world that brings fairy tales to reality. It is a tale that follows a great cast of characters who find themselves in the woods attempting to carry out their wishes. With beautiful costumes and lighting the musical creates a mesmerizing world that takes the viewers into the story. The musical numbers and coordination add to the spectacle and create an immersive experience. The play follows the theme of consequences and the importance of taking responsibility for one's actions, while the characters are well developed and brought to life by talented performers.

Into the Woods follows the tale of characters who find themselves in the woods trying to carry out their wishes. Nonetheless, they discover that their actions have great consequences. The tale follows a baker and his wife as they pursue items to break a curse that prevents them from having a child. Along the path, they run into famous characters from many different classic fairy tales such as Cinderella, Jack from Jack and the Beanstalk and Little Red.

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All Over the Place

Review of Into the Woods at the 5th Avenue Theatre

Written by Shizuka Minamoto during an Arts Criticism workshop at Glacier Middle School

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Before the play began above the stage with the words "wish", The play then began. When the lights go out then you start seeing the narrator, later on the actors appear on stage and begin to bring the fairytale to life. More hanging lights with multiple colors, as well as props and colorful costumes appear. The narrator provides a brief hint to each character's storyline to give you a sense of excitement for what is about to come. Well, the issue is the narrator sounded like they were mumbling something loudly into the microphone and so did the first speaker way before the show began.

The plot and theme was telling us there are consequences to our actions. Even the smallest actions, it all has consequences. They show this by putting famously known fairy tales together into one (the tales that were mentioned are: Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, and Jack and the Beanstalk.) Each character has their own wishes but there are obstacles (and consequences) to get what they desire. At one point all the characters meet up and try to work together to defeat the giant to rescue the boy.

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Magical and Enchanting

Review of Into the Woods at The 5th Avenue Theatre

Written by Audrina Gutierrez during an Arts Criticism workshop at Glacier Middle School

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Into The Woods at The 5th Avenue Theatre is truly a performance that is magical and enchanting that will leave you in awe. The entire cast are phenomenal young actors and actresses who give an amazing performance with the late Stephen Sondheim's lyrical brilliance with songs that will be stuck in your head for days.

With a reimagine combination of classic fairy tales such as Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Jack and the Beanstalk and Rapunzel told by fantastic lyrics, plotlines and acting, the actors pour their heart and soul into these performances.

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"Metamorphoses": An Endless Battle for Justice

Review of Metamorphoses at Seattle Repertory Theatre

Written by Teen Writer Elle Vonada and edited by Audrey Gray

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Content warning: sexual assault

Before one’s eyes, actors morph into polarizing characters written by an ancient Roman author. Seattle Rep’s compelling performance of Metamorphoses brings Ovid’s stories into the 21st century, giving reason to why humanity has chosen to preserve his literature. The production’s impact is enhanced by expert stagecraft, made most powerful because of how the 2,000-year old fiction remains relevant to modern society. One would expect humanity to have evolved somewhat in the years since then, but this show reveals that the more things change, the more they remain the same.

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ArtsWest’s “An Endless Shift”: The Engaging, Unfiltered Truth About the Pandemic

Review of An Endless Shift at ArtsWest

Written by Teen Writer Raika Roy Choudhury and edited by Kyle Gerstel

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An Endless Shift, a documentary theater production about nurses during the pandemic, is a powerful experience. The show is a collage of verbatim interviews conveyed by one performer—Gloria Alcalá—to introduce an often overlooked perspective on the impact of the pandemic. That nuance, combined with the coziness of ArtsWest’s theater, makes for an even more personal experience.

Even before the play starts, the theater space is impressive. The two-tiered stage is close to the seating area, the proximity creating familiarity between the audience and the production. There is blue ambient lighting, and fog lingering in the air. Props are minimal: five chairs are set up at slightly different angles spanning the stage, and a handful of banners accompany them.

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Teen Struggles and Lessons for Parents

Review of I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter at Seattle Repertory Theatre

Written by Liya Haile during an Arts Criticism workshop at Evergreen High School

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Parents may have a favorite child whom they consider to be “perfect,” which might make the other child feel unwanted or excluded. In the play, I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter, we see Julia, the main character in the book, feel this way after her older sister Olga died. Her parents see Olga as a model kid that loves spending time with her family, and helps her mom with household chores. Julia on the other hand was the opposite, always making trouble, likes being out with friends and is lazy. Julia feels imperfect compared to Olga. Her parents encourage her to be more like Olga than herself. Even though she likes doing good things such as writing, reading, and poems, they were not supportive. Later on Julia finds unexpected things in Olga's room, doubts her sister's sanity, and keeps figuring out more. The story continues with Julia discovering her sister’s true colors.

The play succeeds at using the lights, transitions, and sound effects. When doing transitions, the light was on the character so your attention goes to where they want you to see, and not the thing they get in and out of the stage with. There was a circle on the ground that spun which I thought was cool because it helps with getting the thing out and the characters don't have to move around a lot because the thing spins making it look like they are moving around.

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A Visual Work of Art

Review of I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter at Seattle Repertory Theatre

Written by Tammy Dao during an Arts Criticism workshop at Evergreen High School

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The theater adaptation of the book I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter is a great depiction of this novel written by Erika L. Sanchez. The book adaptation into the play takes the main elements and themes of the novel, such as family, untold secrets, and culture. Using those themes in the story and elevating it into a visual work of art for both those who already enjoyed the book and for those who haven't read it at all.

This play stays really accurate to the book starring the main character Julia Reyes living in Chicago alongside her parents and her recently dead older sister Olga. The story is set in Julia’s last few high school years featuring not only her school life, but her life within the city, and her home life with her immigrant parents.

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Excellent Adaptation from Page to Stage

Review of I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter at Seattle Repertory Theatre

Written by Hayley Ann Dacome during an Arts Criticism workshop at Evergreen High School

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When I first checked out I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter, I was sure it was going to be boring, as I thought it would have too many dreadful problems in the story for me to keep up with. As I kept reading, the story became intriguing to me. Every time I flipped a page, it was sometimes the funny dialogue between Julia and her best friend Lorena, or drama-filled suspense. As a person who has recently started her journey of reading more young adult novels, I’d usually finish a novel in a month and a half. I was so surprised by the fact that I was able to finish the book in two weeks, I guess this shows how interesting the book was for me to try read toward the end.

For the past month, our class has been reading a remarkable young adult novel by Erika Sanchez, about a Mexican teenage girl, Julia, who is dealing with the death of her older sister, Olga, and the heavy expectations her parents have given her to be the perfect daughter. Not only that, she feels a sense of mystery with her sister, that Olga wasn’t who her parents really thought she was. In this review, I will be reviewing the play of this very novel, and talk about why it’s worth a watch. To briefly give an overview of this play, the plot is basically almost exactly the same as the book. Now, I don’t want to give out spoilers, but even though I read the novel prior to watching this play, I was shocked at how the play had played out.

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A Brave Portrayal of Mental Health

Review of I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter at Seattle Repertory Theatre

Written by Krystalee Hernandez Olvera during an Arts Criticism workshop at Evergreen High School

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The play I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter is about Julia finding herself after being in the shadow of her sister Olga “the perfect Mexican daughter.” It shows her journey and curiosity after Olga’s death, learning more about herself, her culture, mental health, and the mystery her sister left behind.

The play successfully shows the audience Julia’s emotions. Just like in the book, the author lets us into Julia’s head allowing us to read all her thoughts, and she goes on her own journey. For example, throughout the play Julia constantly pauses in the moment and turns to the audience to share all the emotions she’s feeling. This helps the audience understand her and connect with the character. The lights and extra effects throw in more emotion through visuals, like the bubbles making it seem like she’s actually in water. This is shown when she felt like she was lost and drowning, the lights turned dark, the spotlight was on her showing how she was alone, all eyes on her. Her determination is demonstrated as she keeps on swimming and swimming without getting anywhere. Many people could relate to that moment when they seem to be struggling, this hooks the viewers in the more as they connect to the play. Music was important to reveal her mood as well. When she was feeling happy, all you could hear was upbeat music like a party.

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How I Was Convinced To See More Plays

Review of I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter at Seattle Repertory Theatre

Written by Gillian Benge during an Arts Criticism workshop at Evergreen High School

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As a high school student who doesn’t get out much, I have not seen many live stage plays. My most memorable experience with theater before seeing I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter was in a kindergarten choir where I played a sheep. Now, picture me and my friends walking into the Seattle Repertory Theatre, seeing the doors to the seating area and the stage behind it, and all we can see on a stage we expected to be empty is the actress for Olga lying prone in her raised coffin. I hadn’t even set my bags down yet, and immediately an impression had been made on me. I did not yet know it, but this play would end up easily being one of the best that I have personally seen up until this point.

The broad summary of I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter, both the book and play, is simple and small in scope. The eldest daughter of a family of four (now three) dies tragically, and the family must fall apart before being put back together the best they can over time. Upon looking past just the aspects of loss and grief, you can find themes of friendship, mental health, and internalized trauma from many key points in the play. Julia’s deep-rooted trust and search for comfort in Lorena during her low moments, the scene where Julia ends up cutting herself that manages to slowly break your heart before stopping it completely, and the revelations about Julia’s parents near the end of the play. With underlying notes of mystery surrounding Olga’s life, we end up exploring both her and Julia through the plotline of Julia’s impromptu investigation, and we end the play knowing Julia’s mind inside and out and Olga’s story from conception to demise. And, as a viewer, I truly enjoyed it.

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Seattle Rep’s New Play Es Perfecto

Review of I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter at Seattle Repertory Theatre

Written by Jasmine Torres Mayorquin during an Arts Criticism workshop at Evergreen High School

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I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter is an exceptional play. It showed angst, delight, and a roller coaster of emotions. Along with a beautiful set and a hand on the back with the stage crew.

I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter is a play put on by the Seattle Repertory Theatre, it puts you in the shoes of 15-year-old Julia Reyes, who is dealing with the death of her sister Olga and the pressure to be "the perfect Mexican daughter." A brilliant interpretation of a Mexican household and an emotionally strong play.

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A Raw, Latina Coming-of-Age Story

Review of I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter at Seattle Repertory Theatre

Written by Bervelyn Lopez Bernabe during an Arts Criticism workshop at Evergreen High School

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From drama and comedy to real-life issues. A rebellious daughter and an obedient one (or so it seemed). The beauty and sadness of it all. The play adaptation of the novel I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L. Sanchez has it all and more. Brought to you by Seattle Repertory Theatre and playwright Issac Gomez, we explore the life of Julia Reyes, a Mexican American 15-year-old teen, as she navigates life after the tragic death of her older sister, Olga. Dealing with her grief, school, life at home, and more, she soon discovers that Olga might not be the perfect saint daughter we all thought she was. This magnificent, well-written play leaves the audience wanting more and at the edge of their seat with the actors, beautiful art, and wonderful portrayal of the story.

The play succeeded in making fans die of laughter, gasp from all the drama, and tear up with sadness. Actress Karen Rodriguez, who played the main character Julia Reyes, did absolutely amazing in portraying the emotional wreck and thought process of a normal 15-year-old Mexican American girl dealing with depression and anxiety. Throughout the play, Rodriguez never fails to stutter or forget her lines. She makes you feel empathy and sadness for Julia throughout the play and never once breaks character. She sure puts on a great show for the audience, making the audience in their seats feel the need to want to understand Julia as a character and person. Rodriguez has many lines and choreography to learn not only as the main character/narrator but in fact, performed flawlessly on stage. Sofía Raquel Sánchez, who plays Julia's older sister Olga, follows Julia in bits and pieces of the show, constantly showing up in the background of scenes. The rest of the main characters: Amá (Jazmín Corona), Apá (Eddie Martinez), Lorena (Leslie Sophia Pérez), and Juanga (Marco Antonio Tzunux) gave their raw emotions and effort to make this project truly come to life. At times, the show became so surreal that you forget you're even watching a play.

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I Am Not Your Perfect Play Critic

Review of I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter at Seattle Repertory Theatre

Written by Sherielyn Bannister during an Arts Criticism workshop at Evergreen High School

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How do you cope when your perfect sister gets hit by a semi truck? And what are you supposed to do when you find out about the double life she was living? How can you ever tell your parents that their perception of their perfect daughter was totally wrong and now you have to carry the burden of a secret that will eventually eat you up inside? And eventually have to navigate through life and plans that come with the hardships of being a young adult, who wants nothing more than to be independent and to live a lifelong dream of being a writer? The truth is no one knows except for Julia Reyes, from the book and play titled I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by “Erika Sánchez”. Julia is a young person of color, which was something many people in the audience could relate to.

The story follows Julia after her older sister, Olga, passed away. Julia and everyone around her saw Olga as the perfect Mexican daughter, who was hardworking, pure of heart, and dutiful to her parents. That's what Julia thought until she found out Olga's secrets after snooping in her bedroom. The depiction of family and friend relationships and hardships were so realistic that it felt like people in the audience were watching real people go through real problems, the acting especially of Julia’s mother played by Jazmín Corona, struck the audience by capturing the strong emotions Julia's mother had to go through with Julia, Amá resonated with many people because of the accurate representation of many mothers everywhere. Another audience favorite was the friendship between Lorena and Juanga, played by Marco Antonio Tzunux and Leslie Sophia Pérez. Their friendship and how they showed they cared for each other and Julia was realistic and relatable, it enthralled the audience because it showed such a fun and dynamic friendship you can see young adults have, in one scene where they became friends after a compliment made by Juanga to Lorena because of her boots, which led to them finding out other interests they shared and becoming best friends.

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March Events Open Doorways to the Seattle Arts Scene

Teen Editorial Staff March 2023 Editorial

Written by Teen Editorial Staff Members Aamina Mughal and Esha Potharaju

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This month on the TeenTix blog, we’re featuring events that force viewers to reject surface level understanding of life. These arts events venture underground, focusing on stories that have previously been untold, underrepresented, or underappreciated.

SIFF starts off on March 1st with the 2002 film Whale Rider, the story of a Mayori girl battling against stereotypes with the hopes to one day become chief. Similarly, Seattle Public Theater delves into stereotypes and their harm through the musical 110 in the Shade. The source material of the show was written in the 1950s and centers the theme of uncovering, as the main character Lizzie uncovers her own personal truths.

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A Story of Self-Discovery as a Mexican American

Review of I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter at Seattle Repertory Theatre

Written by Ecna Aguilar-Santiago during an Arts Criticism workshop at Evergreen High School

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You walk into the theater and immediately are captivated. Your eyes are lured to a woman in her casket, front, and center stage. The lights beaming directly on her face, smirking.

Humor, tragedy, romance, family, friends, a heartwarming coming-of-age theater masterpiece written by Isaac Gomez based on the novel I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L. Sanchez. The lighting, the simple props, the effects, the turntable, and the actors all come together to take you to Chicago and make you feel like you're living everything with them. Karen Rodriguez who plays the main character Julia Reyes does a mind-blowing, amazing job of portraying a bookworm Latina daughter dealing with a family loss. Issac Gomez’s play does a fantastic job of showing us the ups and downs of a teenage girl dealing with death, immigrant parents, mental health, and self-discovery.

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