Ian Thal
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ianthal.bsky.social
Ian Thal
@ianthal.bsky.social
320 followers 460 following 410 posts
Playwright and theater critic based in Washington, DC.
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ianthal.bsky.social
Thank you to fellow playwright Dan West for his recommendation of my short play JAN KUTURA, SUBSTITUTE TEACHER, MEETS THE CROWD on the New Play Exchange!

newplayexchange.org/script/19921...
Dan West recommended Jan Kultura, Substitute Teacher, Meets The Crowd by Ian Thal: “When off-beat substitute teacher Mr. Kultura first steps in front of today’s assigned charges, it seems like we are being setup for a blood in the water moment with the classroom eating him alive. But instead what we get is Thal and Kultura turning the tables on all of us for a hilarious indictment of corporate crowdsourcing as a component of late stage capitalism. If all lessons on economics were this engaging, we might all have a better understanding of why things are the way they are in the world we live in.”
December 16, 2025 at 10:09 PM
ianthal.bsky.social
Thank you to fellow playwright @noralouisesyran.bsky.social for recommending my short play JAN KULTURA, SUBSTITUTE TEACHER, MEETS THE CROWD on the @newplayexchange.bsky.social!
newplayexchange.org/script/19921...
Jan Kultura, Substitute Teacher, Meets The Crowd by Ian Thal Mister Kultura is filling in for the regular social studies teacher. The students refuse to provide their real names, identifying themselves only by such monikers as "King of My Pants" and "Unique Superstar" while a previously scheduled guest speaker named Jackie gives a presentation on the awesomeness of the crowdsourced economy. RECOMMENDED BY Nora Louise Syran: “Ian Thal is a thinker. He's also very funny. So when he brings in Mister Kultura --"I like this guy"-- and passes around a do-it-yourself- attendance sheet, I knew immediately I was in for a ride and you will be too. And, most importantly, you'll be "happy, because subjects of King of His Pants are patriots who just want to have fun"! Right?!🤣” 12/10/2025
December 12, 2025 at 5:26 PM
ianthal.bsky.social
Thank you to fellow playwright James Perry for his recommendation of my short play, JAN KULTURA, SUBSTITUTE TEACHER, MEETS THE CROWD, on @newplayexchange.bsky.social!

newplayexchange.org/script/19921...
Recently Recommended: James Perry recommended Jan Kultura, Substitute Teacher, Meets The Crowd by lan Thal: "This satirical play is clever, sharp, and unapologetically pointed. An engaging piece that knows exactly what it wants to say and has a hell of a time saying it. It's smart, funny, and absolutely worth sharing with an audience."
December 1, 2025 at 4:57 PM
ianthal.bsky.social
Thank you fellow playwright Lisa Dellagiarino Feriend for recommending my short play, MAKING OUT WITH KATY AND JONAH (THE ORGONE OSCILLATION OVERTHRUSTER PLAY) on @newplayexchange.bsky.social.
newplayexchange.org/script/27927...
Making Out With Katy and Jonah (The Orgone Oscillation Overthruster Play) by Ian Thal Two artists go home together after a poetry reading. Things get weird, then they get weirder. RECOMMENDED BY Lisa Dellagiarino Feriend: “I read this one for the title, and it was as wonderfully ridiculous as I hoped it would be! I was on board from the character descriptions. There are so many wonderful opportunities for physical comedy in here. A trio of comedic actors would have an absolute field day with this short. So delightfully bonkers!” 11/15/2025
November 17, 2025 at 12:34 AM
ianthal.bsky.social
Earlier this year I wrote a short play about an artist who discovers he has been banned from a performance venue after speaking out against 9/11 conspiracy theories. It's on the @newplayexchange.bsky.social

newplayexchange.org/script/31933...
Banned from the Great Unknown | New Play Exchange
newplayexchange.org
September 11, 2025 at 5:49 PM
ianthal.bsky.social
Thank you to fellow playwright J. Lois Diamond for recommending my short play LOCOMOTIVE TELEPHONY WITH DANCER AND EDITOR on @newplayexchange.bsky.social!
newplayexchange.org/script/32133... @sugatala.bsky.social
Locomotive Telephony with Dancer and Editor by Ian Thal A spontaneous telephone call from his dancer friend, N.B., inspires Jonah, a poet, to compose a new poem. The editor of a poetry journal wants to rewrite the poem. N.B. and Jonah, nonetheless, dance. RECOMMENDED BY J.Lois Diamond: “ I absolutely adore this witty spirited play. It's full of physical and verbal gymnastics. The rhythmic language sings with the magic of poetry and I can totally picture the spontaneous choreography happening while on an Amtrak train. I would love to see this produced. ” 9/5/2025
September 6, 2025 at 11:59 AM
ianthal.bsky.social
Thank you to fellow playwright Danielle Wirsansky for her recommendation of my short play BANNED FROM THE GREAT UNKNOWN which can be read on @newplayexchange.bsky.social!

newplayexchange.org/script/31933...
Banned from the Great Unknown by Ian Thal December 2003, Cambridge, Massachusetts, months after Amiri Baraka has been removed from the post of New Jersey Poet Laureate: A discussion between two performance poets about a possible upcoming gig becomes adversarial as the subject turns to terrorist networks, conspiracy theories, political appointments, and artistic gatekeeping. RECOMMENDED BY Danielle Wirsansky: “ Banned from the Great Unknown is a sharp, timely exploration of political divides and the complexities of artistic expression. The tension between the two poets, layered with personal history and global issues, makes for a thought-provoking piece on how beliefs can fracture even the closest bonds. ” 6/8/2025
June 10, 2025 at 10:43 AM
ianthal.bsky.social
April 23: In honor of William Shakespeare's birthday and the anniversary of his death, I offer my sequel to the "The Merchant of Venice": THE CONVERSOS OF VENICE

It's available on @newplayexchange.bsky.social !

newplayexchange.org/script/19903...
The Conversos of Venice | New Play Exchange
newplayexchange.org
April 23, 2025 at 2:39 PM
ianthal.bsky.social
In @wcp.bsky.social I review @shakespeareindc.bsky.social's production of Anton Chekhov's UNCLE VANYA (English adaptation by Conor McPherson). Simon Godwin directs.

washingtoncitypaper.com/article/7622...
A Disheveled Hugh Bonneville Proves To Be a Dedicated Ensemble Player in Uncle Vanya
The Downton Abbey star leads a talented cast in satisfying, snarky, and spiced-up adaptation of Anton Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya.
washingtoncitypaper.com
April 16, 2025 at 4:38 PM
ianthal.bsky.social
In @wcp.bsky.social I review the world premiere of playwright/performer @priyankashetty.bsky.social's #CHARLOTTESVILLE a documentary play about the 2017 Unite the Right Rally and its aftermath. Currently at the Keegan Theatre. Yury Urnov directs.

washingtoncitypaper.com/article/7617...
#CHARLOTTESVILLE Meets the Current Moment With Urgency
The world premiere of #CHARLOTTESVILLE, Priyanka Shetty’s documentary play, investigates the Night of Tiki Torches and its fallout.
washingtoncitypaper.com
April 7, 2025 at 3:19 PM
ianthal.bsky.social
Thank you to fellow playwright @kerrlockhart.bsky.social for recommending my one-act play JAN KULTURA, SUBSTITUTE TEACHER AND THE MATRIARCHY OF THE ANTS on the @newplayexchange.bsky.social.

newplayexchange.org/script/20110...
Jan Kultura, Substitute Teacher, and the Matriarchy of the Ants by Ian Thal With the assistance a Newspeak interpreter named Dix, Mister Kultura finds himself in a biology class presenting “The Matriarchy of the Ants,” a nature documentary. What follows is a lesson in evolutionary arms races, selfish genes, xenophobia, the threat that repressive regimes pose to scientific inquiry, a brief history of constructed languages, and puppet hijinks. Comrade Guest Eder Kultura and MotherGov of Antland Comrade Guest Eder Kultura from Ungoodland come to lifesci class and show Oldspeak TrueDocFilm. Newspeak Comrade TrueSpeaker Dix speak goodthinks. TrueDocFilm ref MotherGov of Antland and is ungoodthink. TrueDocFilm is untrue, maked by crimethinkers. Uncomrade Kultura is unperson. You unhear him. You unsee him. This warn you.You unread this. Download is infocrime. Stageact this is artcrime. This warn you. RECOMMENDED BY Kerr Lockhart: “ Ian Thal is a verbal stylist, and he has let it all go with a fantasia on Orwell's Newspeak Gone Wild, which like many dialects, seems strange at first but gradually becomes easy to understand. The heart of the piece is the pitched battle between scientific inquiry and the almost inevitable desire of governments to to control thought -- words being one of the most efficient tools. (How can you think about things for which there are no words?) There are laughs, but the story is not really funny. ”
April 6, 2025 at 9:02 AM
ianthal.bsky.social
In @wcp.bsky.social's City Lights section, I recommend Scena Theatre's production of Samuel Beckett's WAITING FOR GODOT at the Source Theatre, directed by Robert McNamara.

washingtoncitypaper.com/article/7616...
Microdosing the Roepocalypse, Seven Samurai, and More: City Lights for April 3–9
This week in D.C.: Psilocybin-inspired art, Microdosing the Roepocalypse, political satire, classic cinema, and Waiting for Godot.
washingtoncitypaper.com
April 3, 2025 at 5:29 AM
ianthal.bsky.social
In @wcp.bsky.social I review Expats Theatre's production of German playwright Rebekka Kricheldof's wicked satire of masculinity, TESTOSTERONE, directed by Karin Rosnizeck, & translated by @neilblackadder.bsky.social. Currently at AtlasPAC.
washingtoncitypaper.com/article/7610... #DCTheater
ExPats Theatre Explores a World Fueled by Testosterone
Testosterone, a mash-up of family drama, exploitation, and romantic comedy from Rebekka Kricheldorf, is a wicked satire of masculinity.
washingtoncitypaper.com
March 25, 2025 at 11:52 PM
ianthal.bsky.social
Today marks the birthday of explorer, soldier, scholar. and translator Richard Francis Burton (1821-1890). Two of his translations (not the only ones I consulted) had an influence on plays of mine.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard...
Richard Francis Burton - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
March 19, 2025 at 4:19 PM
ianthal.bsky.social
Latest revision of a new short play on @newplayexchange.bsky.social!

newplayexchange.org/script/32133...
Locomotive Telephony with Dancer and Editor | New Play Exchange
newplayexchange.org
March 18, 2025 at 6:06 AM
ianthal.bsky.social
Thank you fellow playwright Sarah Siegel for recommending my short play (the second she did in a single day!) about pedagogy and the crowd-sourced economy, JAN KULTURA, SUBSTITUTE TEACHER, MEETS THE CROWD on @newplayexchange.bsky.social!
newplayexchange.org/script/19921...
Sarah Siegel recommended Jan Kultura, Substitute Teacher, Meets The Crowd by Ian Thal “This play is the proof that being a Philosophy major is excellent training for playwriting. It got me curious to read a version of the play, where Ian Thal demonstrates through self-absorbed adolescents, a Communist bureaucrat, and a Capitalist substitute teacher why Communism isn't fair either.”
March 17, 2025 at 4:38 AM
ianthal.bsky.social
Thank you fellow playwright Sarah Siegel for recording my short play about cognitive evolution, supersymmetry, and talking cats, TWO CATS EXPLAIN THE MONSTROUS MOTH GROUP on @newplayexchange.bsky.social!

newplayexchange.org/script/19903...
Sarah Siegel recommended Two Cats Explain the Monstrous Moth Group by Ian Thal “ I appreciated a window into the mind of a human genius -- genius because the human was wise enough to pay attention to brilliant cats, including one, who was (spoiler alert) determined to transform the other into the reformed Eliza Doolittle of cats. Weird and charming! ”
March 17, 2025 at 4:26 AM
ianthal.bsky.social
Theatrical lighting designers:

Next time you see me, your local theater critic, at a post-show reception, introduce yourself and tell me something about your lighting philosophy, because it's the aspect of theater arts I feel that I least understand.
March 16, 2025 at 1:56 PM
ianthal.bsky.social
In @wcp.bsky.social I interview playwright Lauren M. Gunderson about her new play A ROOM IN THE CASTLE, which explores the women who inhabit Shakespeare's HAMLET. Currently on stage at @folgerlibrary.bsky.social.

Photography by @darrow-m.bsky.social

washingtoncitypaper.com/article/7596...
Playwright Lauren M. Gunderson Wants Something Less Rotten for the Women of Hamlet
A Room in the Castle focuses on the women: “The most brazen part of this whole play is I actually don’t give a shit about Hamlet.”
washingtoncitypaper.com
March 7, 2025 at 5:59 PM
ianthal.bsky.social
In @wcp.bsky.social I review playwright @bobbartlett.bsky.social's LOVE AND VINYL at @byrdlandrecords.bsky.social—it's a play set in record store being performed in a record store! Directed by Carlos Saldaña (who also plays Zane).
washingtoncitypaper.com/article/7594...
Love and Vinyl: A Play Set in a Record Store Playing in a Record Store
Staged in Byrdland Records, Love and Vinyl exquisitely demonstrates that one's philosophy of love is as individual as one’s taste in music.
washingtoncitypaper.com
March 5, 2025 at 5:51 PM
ianthal.bsky.social
Marco Rubio thought that by accepting the nomination as Secretary of State, he would be the Colin Powell of the second Trump Administration.

Now he realizes that he's the Colin Powell of the second Trump Administration.
March 1, 2025 at 3:44 AM
ianthal.bsky.social
In @wcp.bsky.social I review GALA Hispanic Theatre's production of Lope De Vega's 1613 classic FUENTEOVEJUNA in a new adaptation by playwright Juan Mayorga and directed by José Luis Arellano.

washingtoncitypaper.com/article/7591...
Lope de Vega’s Fuenteovejuna: A Classic Political Drama Filtered Through a Postmodern Lens
Fuenteovejuna was written in 1613 and is set in 1476, but it’s worth asking what the play’s politics mean today in the 2025 production.
washingtoncitypaper.com
February 27, 2025 at 4:39 PM
ianthal.bsky.social
Giambattista Basile died on this day in 1632. He is best known for his collection of Neapolitan fairy tales, Il Pentamerone.

I adapted one of those stories THE SUN, THE MOON, AND TALIA, (the earliest known version of "Sleeping Beauty") as a play on NPX.
newplayexchange.org/script/19996...
The Sun, The Moon, and Talia | New Play Exchange
newplayexchange.org
February 23, 2025 at 5:28 AM
ianthal.bsky.social
The Capital Fringe has recently announced that it is not coming back, so I am sharing my past reviews.

Day 10: In 2022 I reviewed @arirothdc.bsky.social's presentation of Israeli playwright/performer Robbie Gringras' solo show THE GATE for @wcp.bsky.social

washingtoncitypaper.com/article/5649...
Fringe Fest Review: The Gate
The Gate, Robbie Gringras’ one-man show, combines fable, satire, and history to humanize various viewpoints.
washingtoncitypaper.com
February 15, 2025 at 4:28 PM
ianthal.bsky.social
Because the Capital Fringe has recently announced that it is not coming back, I am sharing my reviews from the Festival.

Day 9: In 2022 I reviewed HIGHER by playwright Wayne L. Firestone and directed by Connor Lugo-Harris for @wcp.bsky.social. washingtoncitypaper.com/article/5649...
Fringe Fest Review: Higher
The current iteration of Wayne L. Firestone’s new play Higher doesn’t always stay afloat, but suggests intriguing possibilities.
washingtoncitypaper.com
February 14, 2025 at 5:25 AM