Since expanding their initial mission as a theater for the blind, Theater Breaking Through Barriers has become one of America’s few companies for artists with disabilities. Their current production, Transcendency Rising: Short Plays About Defying Limitation, is a line-up of 10 original works written specifically for them. The majority are by renowned playwrights while others are penned by TBTB members. All are staged to also be inclusive of all audience members with large captions projected onto a set comprised of flat surfaces designed for the purpose and scene-setting audio descriptions read out by actress Melanie Portsche.
The event starts off brightly enough with a section from Buffalos by author and essayist Adam Edmund Linn. With illustrative direction by TBTB’s artistic director Nicholas Viselli and a beguiling performance by a Fareeda Pasha, it is a pretty little watercolor of a monologue. With a total of six pieces, the first half comes to a climax with Bekah Brunstetter’s Forgotten Corners Of Your Dark, Dark Place. Bookended by familiar tunes and set in what must be a very progressive community center, the script masterfully combines broad humor with more touchy social commentary. Jennifer Elizabeth Bradley portrays Gloria, an instructor who would make you uncomfortable even if she was teaching basic algebra. (Hint: she is not teaching basic algebra.) Under the direction of Brian Leahy Doyle, Jamie Petrone, Amanda Cortinas, and Emma Shafer collaborate to bring heart to the hastily sketched workshop participants. (I remembered Petrone from 2016’s The Healing and was thrilled to see so many new entries in her Playbill bio.)
Shockingly it is the final piece of Act I, the much touted The Upside Down Man by John Patrick Shanley, that is the show’s low point. This is not a reflection on director Ivette Dumeng or actors Nelson Avidonand Veronica Cruz, but rather on Shanley’s head-shaking focus on a misogynist breezily dismissing the harm done to Gisèle Pelicot and victims of Jeffrey Epstein, Bill Cosby, and Harvey Weinstein. I kept waiting for the twist in his character arc, but it never came and the motivation of his date Serena for remaining at their table wasn’t a punchy enough reward for putting the audience through their exchange.
Several people used the five minute bio-break that serves as intermission to head for the exit. That was unfortunate given that the second half opens with a refreshingly original monologue: Redemption by Tony nominee Lyle Kessler. Directed by Viselli, Xen Theo portrays Syd, a Jewish man relaying his defense statement to an unseen judge. Funny and vulnerable by turns, Theo gives a lift to every minute of his scene. This is followed by a sincere and insightful exploration of caregiving in The Calling written by TBTB member Kathryn Grant and directed by Ann Marie Morelli. It features Scott Barton as an elegant patient in assisted living. Carla Brandberg and Enrique Huili portray his aid and an orderly with their own connection. Portsche provides a voice over the facility’s intercom.
Like most short play festivals, Transcendency Rising is uneven, though the theme of wishing to be seen loosely ties the works together. Critically, the 145 runtime too often allows the engagement to flag and the energy to dissipate doing a disservice to all involved. Performances continue through April 11 in Theatre 5 at Theatre Row, 410 West 42nd Street. Tickets are $60 and are available at the Theatre Row Box Office or online at https://bfany.org/theatre-row/shows/transcendency-rising/. The venue is low rise and shallow with 7 rows of 15 seats. Most of row G is dedicated to wheelchair and companion seating.
The Unforgettable Line 