REVIEWS AND PRESS
Reviews for EYES SHUT. DOOR OPEN.
New England Theatre Geek, Travis Manni
“Eyes Shut. Door Open”: Exploring the Artist’s Tormented Psyche
“Eyes Shut. Door Open”: Exploring the Artist’s Tormented Psyche
"[I was] swept up in playwright Cassie M. Seinuk’s world, which had its own set of nightmares prepared for me."
"Director Christopher Randolph is able to piece together a wonderfully fluid story that captures the ever-raging question of what drives an artist to make art without letting the audience fall behind during the scenes of hellish whimsy. Eyes Shut. Door Open is a stunning display of human torment and passion that audiences are sure to appreciate—just be prepared to watch some scenes through your fingers with wincing eyes." more
"Director Christopher Randolph is able to piece together a wonderfully fluid story that captures the ever-raging question of what drives an artist to make art without letting the audience fall behind during the scenes of hellish whimsy. Eyes Shut. Door Open is a stunning display of human torment and passion that audiences are sure to appreciate—just be prepared to watch some scenes through your fingers with wincing eyes." more
ArtsImpulse, Brian Michael Balduzzi
"Eyes Shut. Door Open." Thrills With Intensely Memorable Cain and Abel Twists
"Eyes Shut. Door Open." Thrills With Intensely Memorable Cain and Abel Twists
"The play is one of Seinuk’s strongest, offering both a modern exploration of the classic Cain and Abel story, and a deconstructionist view of art, its creation, and, most of all, the psyche of its creator. With an all-star cast and a strong director, the play succeeds in captivating the audience until the play’s final moments, a thrilling cat-and-mouse game of shifting alliances, growing paranoia, and heart-pounding suspense."
"With one of the strongest new scripts of the season and a must see for fans of psychological thrillers, East of Eden, or impressive new plays, Eyes Shut. Door Open. was a play that sticks with you, spurring discussion, introspection, and empathy long after the play’s disturbing conclusion. This is a play worth seeing, worth discussing, and worth remembering, lest we forget the possibility of young Boston playwrights to offer new perspective and influence to the Greater Boston theatre scene. And who doesn’t love the beautiful synergy of Shopov, Underhill, and promising newcomer DeJesus? " more
"With one of the strongest new scripts of the season and a must see for fans of psychological thrillers, East of Eden, or impressive new plays, Eyes Shut. Door Open. was a play that sticks with you, spurring discussion, introspection, and empathy long after the play’s disturbing conclusion. This is a play worth seeing, worth discussing, and worth remembering, lest we forget the possibility of young Boston playwrights to offer new perspective and influence to the Greater Boston theatre scene. And who doesn’t love the beautiful synergy of Shopov, Underhill, and promising newcomer DeJesus? " more
The Arts Fuse, Ian Thal
Fuse Theater Review: “Eyes Shut. Door Open.” – Cain and Abel South of Houston Street
Fuse Theater Review: “Eyes Shut. Door Open.” – Cain and Abel South of Houston Street
"Seinuk, of course, knows her mythology, and the allusion to and repetition of mythological violence elevates Eyes Shut. Door Open. above the popular plot formula of dark domestic secrets revealed at a family reunion."
"An intensely relentless script."
"The cast is well matched for one another and the complexity of the characters. Shopov maintains a swaggering facade as Turner, hinting at the nihilism, self-loathing, and inauthenticity that squats within. Underhill evokes the twitchy impulsivity of an addict, while also pouring on the kind of lost-puppy charm that can make wounded (but untrustworthy) souls so charismatic. DeJesus, as Johanna, projects a cagey intelligence..." more
"An intensely relentless script."
"The cast is well matched for one another and the complexity of the characters. Shopov maintains a swaggering facade as Turner, hinting at the nihilism, self-loathing, and inauthenticity that squats within. Underhill evokes the twitchy impulsivity of an addict, while also pouring on the kind of lost-puppy charm that can make wounded (but untrustworthy) souls so charismatic. DeJesus, as Johanna, projects a cagey intelligence..." more
On Boston Stages, Rich Fahey
‘EYES SHUT, DOOR OPEN’ IS SHOCKING, INTENSE, HAUNTING
‘EYES SHUT, DOOR OPEN’ IS SHOCKING, INTENSE, HAUNTING
"The piece is 90 minutes of no-holds-barred pure intensity, with an excellent, small three-person cast."
"Seinuk slowly peels back the layers of the onion over what exactly inspired Turner to create the paintings, and how confronting the demons involved might cost him dearly." more
"Seinuk slowly peels back the layers of the onion over what exactly inspired Turner to create the paintings, and how confronting the demons involved might cost him dearly." more
Boston Events Insider, Mike Hoban
Wax Wings Gives Cain and Abel an Artistic Treatment in 'Eyes Shut. Door Open' (4 Stars)
Wax Wings Gives Cain and Abel an Artistic Treatment in 'Eyes Shut. Door Open' (4 Stars)
"This well-directed work features some terrific performances by a talented cast. Victor Shopov (Turner), who has played a number of highly confident, wholly unlikable characters quite brilliantly in the past year delivers again. But this time we see his character's swagger dissolve as he crumbles in the face of the tag team beating delivered by both the truth and the looming specter of his father (sometimes quite literally). As Palmer, Michael Underhill absolutely nails the essence of the desperate addict, effortlessly shifting gears from charming snake to little boy seeking approval to unrepentant thief to blame thrower. It is a thoroughly realized performance."
"This is a well-written piece that works on a number of levels." more
"This is a well-written piece that works on a number of levels." more
Reviews for FROM THE DEEP
Boston Spirit Magazine
New Boston Playwrights' Collective Delivers Riveting Night
New Boston Playwrights' Collective Delivers Riveting Night
"Seldom has this reviewer seen a play set in a parallel universe, created entirely from the playwright’s imagination, transcend the genre of science fiction or the theater of the absurd. But like the best of Harold Pinter, that Nobel Prize-winning playwright, Seinuk and her cast and crew of this production have created a riveting theatrical experience. The audience not only clutches their seats to find out the final outcome of the two trapped men but also hangs onto their every sentence of dialog to learn how they come together to cope and hopefully overcome their similar yet totally different dilemmas." more
The Jewish Advocate and MySouthEnd.com, Jules Becker
Strength to Strength in "From the Deep"
Strength to Strength in "From the Deep"
"Cassie M. Seinuk is a writer with a passion for connection."
"Now Boston Public Works Theater Company is giving such a connection-one transcending diverse roots and orientation-a powerfully disturbing premiere at the Boston Center for the Arts."
"The captives' connection begins with the five-year IDF prisoner showing the young newcomer how to survive confinement-the kind of mentoring that figures prominently in the Frank McGuinness' drama "Someone Who'll Watch over Me." Also, Ilan and Andrew's surreal confinement zone calls to mind Jean Paul Sartre's existential classic "No Exit."
"Boston Public Works viscerally probing "From the Deep" more than lives up to that teaching in a must-see premiere."
"Now Boston Public Works Theater Company is giving such a connection-one transcending diverse roots and orientation-a powerfully disturbing premiere at the Boston Center for the Arts."
"The captives' connection begins with the five-year IDF prisoner showing the young newcomer how to survive confinement-the kind of mentoring that figures prominently in the Frank McGuinness' drama "Someone Who'll Watch over Me." Also, Ilan and Andrew's surreal confinement zone calls to mind Jean Paul Sartre's existential classic "No Exit."
"Boston Public Works viscerally probing "From the Deep" more than lives up to that teaching in a must-see premiere."
BroadwayWorld.com
BWW Reviews: FROM THE DEEP: Captivating New Play from Cassie M. Seinuk and Boston Public Works
BWW Reviews: FROM THE DEEP: Captivating New Play from Cassie M. Seinuk and Boston Public Works
"Understanding that surviving captivity is an enormous mental challenge, Seinuk expands the boundaries beyond four walls to encompass every person's trials with fear, anxiety, and self-criticism, as well as to examine the power of connection in conquering those demons."
"At all times, the tedium and the tension inherent in their situation are palpable and we are riveted to the unfolding drama."
"At all times, the tedium and the tension inherent in their situation are palpable and we are riveted to the unfolding drama."
"From The Deep is further proof that Boston’s theater community would be better served if it put as much of its resources into presenting the work of local literary talent as does in the habitual importation of the (often) mediocre work stuffed into the New York-centric new play pipeline."
"...the relationship becomes compelling because of the psychological revelations that the unrealistic setting draws out of these figures."
"Perhaps From the Deep should be seen as a postmodern play: it posits two contradictory but equally “real” realities. Still, the performance ends with the stage left empty for a few seconds. The audience remains. The now vacant set perhaps inviting the watchers to experience a moment of catharsis?"
"...the relationship becomes compelling because of the psychological revelations that the unrealistic setting draws out of these figures."
"Perhaps From the Deep should be seen as a postmodern play: it posits two contradictory but equally “real” realities. Still, the performance ends with the stage left empty for a few seconds. The audience remains. The now vacant set perhaps inviting the watchers to experience a moment of catharsis?"
"We’re rapt, on the edge of our seats, throughout their terrifying forays into the unknown." “From the Deep,” rising playwright Cassie M. Seinuk’s two-act, two-hour, two-person fictitious play about an Israeli prisoner of war and an American student captive thrown together, packs a potent, emotional punch."
"A deeply moving, intense insider’s view of two captives thrown together, marking time and motivating each other."
"Seinuk’s fascinating play is loosely based on two authentic young men who went missing."
"Besides mounting tension and action, Seinuk employs symbolism and captivating, metaphoric illusion that bolsters the play’s pathos, keeping theatergoers conversing long after the end."
"A deeply moving, intense insider’s view of two captives thrown together, marking time and motivating each other."
"Seinuk’s fascinating play is loosely based on two authentic young men who went missing."
"Besides mounting tension and action, Seinuk employs symbolism and captivating, metaphoric illusion that bolsters the play’s pathos, keeping theatergoers conversing long after the end."
"Told through Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead-like mental challenges and focus games, they work to endure their environment and isolation."
"FTD asks its audience to consider the greater human existence through the metaphor of involuntary confinement."
"Trigger warnings (The crew really pulled all the stops for this production): FTD is very good and for this reason those with sensitivity to triggers may decide to opt out."
"In the words of one distressed audience member, “it’s messed up.”"
"FTD asks its audience to consider the greater human existence through the metaphor of involuntary confinement."
"Trigger warnings (The crew really pulled all the stops for this production): FTD is very good and for this reason those with sensitivity to triggers may decide to opt out."
"In the words of one distressed audience member, “it’s messed up.”"
Yediot America
Children of All
Children of All
"Gilad Shalit story became even more intriguing when watching an interview later. I was preparing a bullet socks and shirts, "Shalit said in that interview," throw all kinds of places, trash, and I'd make up my things and writing things occasionally. Game Location City. "He said he had to hide sometimes the things he wrote for his captors suspected..."
BostonJewish.com
Four Questions with Cassie M. Seinuk, Playwright
Four Questions with Cassie M. Seinuk, Playwright
"This week I had a chance to speak with playwright Cassie M. Seinuk about her award-winning play, “From The Deep,” a story inspired by two real missing people from opposite sides of the world and an imagined scenario in which the two could meet and help each other."
Lesley University News
Lesley graduate’s “From The Deep” receives Kennedy Center honors among other accolades
Lesley graduate’s “From The Deep” receives Kennedy Center honors among other accolades
“Cassie is an exceptionally strong dramatist who isn't afraid to tackle big issues in her plays,” applauds Jami Brandli, a Stage and Screen faculty member in Lesley’s MFA in Creative Writing low-residency program. “‘From the Deep’ is one of those plays that has complex characters, it’s highly theatrical and it’s emotionally honest.” - Jami Brandli quoted in the Lesley News, Thursday April 17 2014
Praise for Boston Public Works Theater
The Boston Globe
New works are finding an audience in Boston
New works are finding an audience in Boston
“It’s tricky,” says Cassie M. Seinuk, whose new play “From the Deep” is being produced by Boston Public Works at the Boston Center for the Arts’ Black Box Theatre through March 28.
“New plays can be overworked in a cycle of readings and workshops that playwrights can get stuck in,” she says, “but a play is not a play until you’re playing.”
Seinuk says “From the Deep” had readings, won a couple of awards and felt ready, but she says, “in the rehearsal process we made so many changes. The set becomes a third character, the actors add so much, the technical elements force you to adjust.”
Rather than hand her play over to another company, Seinuk is a member of Boston Public Works, a theater company consisting of playwrights that produce their own work. Although she interviewed other directors, Seinuk says she decided to work with Lindsay Eagle, who had directed earlier iterations of the play.
“I was grateful to have worked with Lindsay during the play’s development,” Seinuk says, “because I felt I was in the right hands, with the right people, in the right environment.”
“New plays can be overworked in a cycle of readings and workshops that playwrights can get stuck in,” she says, “but a play is not a play until you’re playing.”
Seinuk says “From the Deep” had readings, won a couple of awards and felt ready, but she says, “in the rehearsal process we made so many changes. The set becomes a third character, the actors add so much, the technical elements force you to adjust.”
Rather than hand her play over to another company, Seinuk is a member of Boston Public Works, a theater company consisting of playwrights that produce their own work. Although she interviewed other directors, Seinuk says she decided to work with Lindsay Eagle, who had directed earlier iterations of the play.
“I was grateful to have worked with Lindsay during the play’s development,” Seinuk says, “because I felt I was in the right hands, with the right people, in the right environment.”
"Boston Public Works’ second offering will be Seinuk’s “From the Deep,” directed by Lindsay Eagle, playing March 12-29 in the Black Box Theatre at the BCA. It takes place in the surreal Room of the Missing, where a vanished Boston college student and an Israeli POW held by Hamas try to help each other survive in their very different states of captivity.
“One of our mission statements is to create a roadmap for other playwrights,” says Seinuk. “In the past five years there have been a lot more plays self-produced, and a lot more playwrights doing this. And they’re doing it on their own, which I think is even harder." more...- Joel Brown, The Boston Globe
“One of our mission statements is to create a roadmap for other playwrights,” says Seinuk. “In the past five years there have been a lot more plays self-produced, and a lot more playwrights doing this. And they’re doing it on their own, which I think is even harder." more...- Joel Brown, The Boston Globe
The Arts Fuse
Fuse Interview: Boston Public Works – Seven Playwrights Making a New Road Map for New Plays
Fuse Interview: Boston Public Works – Seven Playwrights Making a New Road Map for New Plays
"Of course, the regions are only regional because they choose to see themselves on the periphery. When it comes to Boston, a new group wants to reverse directions when it comes to the development cycle for new plays. Boston Public Works is a collective of seven local playwrights that is dedicated to experimenting with self-production, bypassing the traditional submission and rejection process. Its inspiration is 13P, a collective of up-and-coming early career New York-based playwrights formed in 2003." more... - Ian Thal, The Arts Fuse
CRACKLERS AT 10X10 TRIANGLE FESTIVAL AT THE ARTSCENTER, NC
Triangle Arts and Entertainment
“Cracklers,” written by Cassie M. Seinuk of Brighton, MA, and directed by Laurel Ullman, also centers around two souls, played by Kyma Lassiter and Sean McCracken, who take public transportation. It is a gripping drama with heart.
P is for... in Heart & Dagger Production's SEX FEST 2
"Let’s start with the thought provoking stuff (which by the by is all penned by women!). Sexual inequality is tackled by Cassie M. Seinuk in “P is for…” You know it’s for “porn” from the get-go, when a woman comes home early from work and catches her boyfriend watching and, well, you know what he was doing. Seinuk poses these questions: If heterosexual men watch lesbian porn for inspiration, then do straight women get turned on by gay porn? And if not, why not... and if it’s acceptable for men to watch porn, why not for women?" - Boston Arts Review, Monday June 9th, 2014
Playing Checkers in Heart & Dagger Production's SEX FEST
"But "Playing Checkers" by Cassie M. Seinuk is the culmination of some of the finest insights this production has to offer. The dialogue is natural and the performances are believable. The audience is carefully seduced into a complex, upsetting and deeply human sexual relationship. There is so much going on in this short play."
- Edge Boston, Saturday, March 9th, 2013
- Edge Boston, Saturday, March 9th, 2013
New England Theatre Geek
Sex, Sexy, Sexy (Sometimes Not), SEX: SUCH TIMES a SEX FESTIVAL
Sex, Sexy, Sexy (Sometimes Not), SEX: SUCH TIMES a SEX FESTIVAL
“Playing Checkers” by Cassie M Seinuk stole the show. This chilling tale about incestuous abuse between a brother and sister was about power: the power we steal in during intimacy. Actors Melissa De Jesus and Chuong Pham were riveting as a brother and sister pushing the boundaries of childhood exploration.
Runner: The Novel the Play
"The dialogue was sharp and direct, with urgency that matched the overall tone of the show."
"The biggest accomplishments of the play were its thought-provoking dilemmas. By presenting characters as fully formed human beings, Seinuk strives to reveal the difficulties of using our built-in mental constructions to identify characters." - Maxwell Price, March 6th, 2009
"The biggest accomplishments of the play were its thought-provoking dilemmas. By presenting characters as fully formed human beings, Seinuk strives to reveal the difficulties of using our built-in mental constructions to identify characters." - Maxwell Price, March 6th, 2009
