The Beasts Stir at West of Lenin
Dirty Beasts: rough plays in early development
In a moving, unconventional festival, Parley presents seven short plays, seven renditions of life’s most momentous and most mundane moments. Written by Katherine Jett, Dustin Hageland, drew david combs, n8 Heneghan, Carolynne Wilcox, Asha Dore and Carol Y. Lee, each of these new works tackles an unsurmountable beast, from mental health illnesses and identity crises to generational trauma and childhood memories. A good combination of complex themes and humor, I was at points captivated by the raw monologue of a character with schizophrenia and at others brought to laughter by a religious chicken’s musical performance.