"Five and Dime provides a glimpse in time"

"The Stage’s current production ... plays with <time> factors toward much more serious ends. ... The story is straightforward enough but told in a very theatrical fashion. This is basically a reunion story set in a rapidly decaying Texas town in 1975. Here the disciples of James Dean hold their 20-year reunion. Like the similar Big Chill, these grown ups will laugh, reminisce about their teenage years, go on a big nostalgia tour and reveal some long repressed secrets. ... What makes the play fascinating is the way it is told – with some characters playing their present day selves, others playing their teenage selves and a few fitting in both time frames. There is an amazing scene in Act II where two time frames are going on simultaneously as the Jimmy Dean fan club meets across two decades." --- David Cannon, Montgomery Sentinal, June 5, 2008 Read the Article

" ... the characters made you become introspective."

"Come Back to The Five and Dime Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean ... I did enjoy this show. I did not know what to expect from it. I have heard about it before. A lot of the details in it are revelations ... Sissy, was pretty sassy and forthright and told it the way it was. But she did have a secret as well. ... Joe, the teenager in the 1955 time frame of the show who was a good friend of Sissy and Mona’s. Slowly we were introduced to him through other characters talking about Joe back in 1955. Joanne, the mysterious stranger who showed up for the Jimmy Dean anniversary party. She had a very strong presence on stage; very regal. You knew there was something going on with her just by the way she strode through the door." --- ShowBizRadio, June 5, 2008 Read/Listen to the Review

"Multi-faced Doors opens audiences to a world of fun"

"... the current show at Silver Spring Stage Communicating Doors is the best comedy involving murder mysteries and time travel ... this Alan Ayckbourn play is one of the most entertaining comedies in a while and the Stage’s production is top notch. ... This is really a showcase for the actresses. Rachel Demma as Poopay, Rachel Duda as first wife Jessica and Toni Carmine as second wife Ruella do a great job as three women in a strange situation across decades who come to rely on one another. ... All of this time traveling scenario could be a gimmick and little more, but there is a surprise that I will not spoil. Let’s just say that you cannot predict the ending, even though in retrospect it makes very logical sense." --- David Cannon, Montgomery Sentinal, April 24, 2008 Read the Article

"... a very good production ... comedy was really funny"

"Communicating Doors ... It’s a time traveling comic thriller. ... the way the three women and the other actors all related to each other I thought was very strong and made for an enjoyable performance. ... A London sex specialist from the future stumbles into a murder plot that sends her, via a unique set of hotel room doors, traveling back in time. She and two women who were murdered in 1978 and 1998 race back and forth in time to rewrite history and prevent their own violent ends." --- ShowBizRadio, April 16, 2008 Read/Listen to the Review

"The Cripple of Inishmaan raises lots of questions, the biggest being who is the cripple of Inishmaan? I think you’ll discover that the answer isn’t the obvious answer. ... There were twists and turns. You weren’t quite sure what was real. The people were not flat characters, they were very well rounded. You thought you had them pegged and then something would come out of the blue and surprise you.." --- ShowBizRadio, February 26, 2008 Read/Listen to the Review

Silver Spring Stage enters 40th season

"... one of the preeminent community theaters in the D.C.- Maryland area celebrates its 40th season. Eschewing the bright lights or other fanfare, its name is artfully displayed on a sidewalk sign by a non-descript entrance: 'Silver Spring Stage.' ... dedication to the craft of live theater. ... plays range from intense dramas like Agnes of God to comic thrillers like the upcoming Communicating Doors. ... The Stage has won many awards and nominations from various local organizations such as the Ruby Griffith Awards and the Maryland Community Theatre Festival Awards."--- Mark C. Robinson, Montgomery Sentinal, January 31, 2008 Read the article

"Seascape" A seriously funny look at the human, not-so-human condition

"What the current production down at Silver Spring Stage smartly remembers, is that Albee’s plays are quite funny. ... Director Laurie Freed has directed several other Albee plays in the past and certainly has an understanding of his skewered world, both its humorous surface aspect and the more probing and serious undercurrents. ... Plus the quartet of actors do a great job in these strange roles. ... this production is good enough that you accept Albee’s oddball characters and situations as calmly as you would anything from Neil Simon." --- David Cannon, Montgomery Sentinal, January 17, 2008 Read the article

"Broadway Bound" with a dose of dysfunction

"Silver Spring Stage is currently giving us a strong performance of this final installment [of Simon's Brighton Beach triology], Broadway Bound. --- While the two boys are starting to succeed in show business, their parents’ marriage is crumbling around them. --- It is a play of extremes, but director Norman Seltzer and his talented cast capture and integrate these varied moods very well." --- David Cannon, Montgomery Sentinal, November 15, 2007 Read the article

... thought provoking ... You need to go see this show.

"This was a really deep show [Agnes of God]. It was very good, very well done. It was something that made us think for a couple of days. ... You need to go see this show. ... It was definitely thought provoking. It makes you want to talk about it on the way home which is what Mike and I did." --- ShowBizRadio, September 27, 2007 Read/Listen to the Review

a stirring show of science versus religion

"4 Stars. A stirring show... [Agnes of God is] a slam bang production and it shows that the script has not gone out of fashion... Director Megan Dreisbach keeps the pacing tight and constantly moving forward. She and her talented cast lead us through the trickier moments of the play... Don Slater's simple unit set and Chris Curtis' lighting effectively move us... Boy, do those confrontation scenes scenes ring out onstage... the strong production at Silver Spring Stage [is] more relevant than ever." --- David Cannon, Montgomery Sentinal, September 27, 2007 Read the article

"...a smart production of Never the Sinner, which looks at one of the pivotal murder trials of the 20th century – the Leopold and Loeb case. It is a fascinating and thought provoking case, and issues from that trial still reverberate today. ... This is one of those cases that appears so simple on the surface and gets real complicated as you dive into it. Fortunately, director Michael Kharfen understands that and keeps the action moving swiftly while letting the actors fill in the details." --- David Cannon, The Montgomery County Sentinel, July 5, 2007 Read the article

... This show will make you think

"This [Never the Sinner] was a pretty serious show. It was well done, well acted. The effects were good. The costuming was well done. Everything about it I really enjoyed. ... This show will make you think a bit about the death penalty. It will make you think about privilege and about attitude. I suggest you go see this show." --- ShowBizRadio, July 4, 2007 Read/Listen to the Review

... reaps a bumper crop of laughter

"A rare offering from north of the border, the Canadian play The Drawer Boy is a fascinating mix of styles. Quite funny in places, more serious in others and all wrapped around a central mystery. But not like any mystery out of Agatha Christie. ... Silver Spring Stage is currently mounting an excellent production of this very tricky play"

--- David Cannon, The Montgomery County Sentinel, April 19, 2007 Read the article

"The story dissects a three-member household—mother, father, daughter—and the struggles they undergo with obligations in a society that emphasizes the importance of work, school, sexual fulfillment—and, of course, keeping the family together."

--- Montgomery Insight Magazine, March, 2007 Read the Aritcle

... a tough look at how families work and don’t work.

"This is a recommended show. I think you’ll, not necessarily enjoy the show, but you’ll be drawn into the story and it really will make you think about what is even the definition of family."

--- ShowBizRadio, March 13, 2007 Read/Listen to the Review

Clearly hilarious great fun

"Currently at Silver Spring Stage is a quirky but quite funny comedy Dimly Perceived Threats to the System. That’s a formidable title, and individual scenes have college syllabus sounding titles like Environmental Depletion (for a family picnic) and Epistemological Break (for intermission), but ignore those. They are part of the joke, and there are plenty of jokes in this well produced show."

--- David Cannon, The Montgomery County Sentinel, March 1, 2007 Read the article

Let There Be Humor in Family Dysfunction

"Dimly Perceived Threats to the System, Jon Klein's darkly comic attempt to define the American family in crisis, is anachronistic. Now being performed in a smartly acted and crisply directed production at Silver Spring Stage ... make their way through the rapidly paced scenes with alacrity, taking us along on a surreally entertaining excursion. It's not profound, but it is fun."

--- Michael Toscano, The Washington Post, March 1, 2007 Read the article

Young and grumpy equals funny

"Silver Spring Stage opens the new year with Jeff Baron’s Visiting Mr. Green, a sly variation on a familiar theme. But Baron’s script has more than a few surprises up its sleeve and Director Ed Starr and his talented cast keep the surprises coming nicely throughout."

No waiting needed at this "Bus Stop"

"Silver Spring Stage is currently giving a strong revival of Inge’s most popular play"..."It is well worth seeing the original play, which is both wiser and more mature than the movie."

"The Play’s" a thing of comedic beauty

"Like everyone else, the arts enjoy talking about themselves. The tradition goes back a long way, and Silver Spring Stage’s lively production of The Play's the Thing shows us that even a story from over a century ago can still make this idea seem fresh and funny."

"One Act Play Festival" kicks off season with a slate of Plays

"For Silver Spring Stage, their one act play festival does many things: it kicks off their 2006-2007 season and serves as a training ground for actors, directors and increasingly, local area playwrights."