POOL PLAY (Feb 7 - March 8, 2014, revived April 2017)
"in between the frolicsome dance numbers, Ms. Bear has some thoughtful things to say: about the history of racial segregation in public pools and beaches, about squandered water resources, about fears that keep us from jumping in even when we want to. And simply about the physical experience of being immersed in water."
-Laura Collins-Hughes for the New York Times, 4/8/17
"The entirety of the play is well executed, featuring a strong ensemble that has absolutely no fear of diving into whatever quirky material is presented to them. Their playfulness is contagious, ultimately creating an uplifting theatrical experience that leaves the audience joyous and refreshed—and maybe a little wet. “Pool Play,” while undeniably light-hearted, manages to communicate some profound and political themes to those who choose to pay attention."
-Laura Collins-Hughes for the New York Times, 4/8/17
"The entirety of the play is well executed, featuring a strong ensemble that has absolutely no fear of diving into whatever quirky material is presented to them. Their playfulness is contagious, ultimately creating an uplifting theatrical experience that leaves the audience joyous and refreshed—and maybe a little wet. “Pool Play,” while undeniably light-hearted, manages to communicate some profound and political themes to those who choose to pay attention."
-Sarah Lucie for Show Business Weekly, 2/12/14
"I am glad that I... saw the inventive he inventive new work, Pool Play, by a group of young, eager, and talented theatre artists.. It is definitely worth the trip."
-Brian Wu for The Front Row Center, 6/10/14
TYPE WHAT NOW (2015)
"Spoiler alert: Bear's show is a huge success... Type What Now is very highly recommended. You absolutely don't have to care about diabetes to appreciate it; all you need is a body and a sense of humor."
"Type What Now is a moving and important piece about body image and appreciating what you’ve got from a very courageous young woman who’s learned it the hard way."
"She realizes that some people who ask about her illness are not accusing; and blesses a human community of sick and well still, so far, living together; and says she’s beautiful and each of the audience is too, and makes us realize why: she is standing before us individual, not alone."
VERSAILLES 2015 (2015)
"Delightful and provocative...Amidst the countless atrocities that confront us every day, at our core we are all struggling to find the naked honesty in our own lives... Versailles 2015 allows us the time to contemplate this in its characters and in ourselves."
"Versailles 2015 is over far too quickly. It is an hors d'oeuvre plate of scenes that collectively...have a message about elitism and the vanity of apathy...Brief and poignant, Versailles 2015 will linger in your mind long after you see it."
"Versailles 2015 is a meditation upon privilege…It blurred the lines between audience and performer, ignored entirely the idea of a fourth wall, and managed to fit in some wonderfully crafted dialogue.”
READYMADE CABARET (2015)
Readymade Cabaret "succeeds in creating an entertaining and unpredictable atmosphere while packing countless ideas into 60 minutes."
-Brett Aresco for Theatre is Easy, 5/28/15
Readymade Cabaret created "a kind of participation that was smart, functional and at times deeply poetic."
-Kristine Haruna Lee for Culturebot, 5/8/15
FERRY PLAY (2015)
"A spirited, meditative audio performance"
"And as the ferry moves across New York Harbor, the vistas on that world change, giving the play a sense of vastness that contrasts with the intimacy of in-your-ear drama."
"Through this work the city of New York becomes a different animal, and you see the world around you in a brand new way. "
-Michael Niederman for New York Theatre Review, 4/14/15
"If nothing else, the play is something to occupy what has probably become a mundane trip for many commuters, and for tourists in the city, one of too many attractions to consume. But if anything else, it's a reminder of the sheer amount of humanity crammed into one small space...And on those nights or mornings when a good mood strikes and the skyline looks particularly beautiful, it's nice to be reminded of where in the world we are."
-Lauren Steussy for the Staten Island Advance, 4/22/15
A SERIOUS BANQUET (JUNE 2-19, 2014)
"Collaborators Erin Mee and Jessie Bear are paving the way to a profound immersive theatrical experience where performance and life intertwine effortlessly. Let them begin again, and again, and again."
-Sydney Arndt for Show Business Weekly, 6/11/14
"This “play” isn’t a play at all. It is an invitation to experience celebration. Yes, it is about art and history, but these things were not handed to me in a dusty book, or put upon a stage where it could judge me for not knowing enough. I was allowed instead to play and grapple with the work, not as a spectator but as a creator myself – not from the outside peering in, but from within itself."
-Collin McConnell for for NYTheater Now, 6/10/14
"[A Serious Banquet] is enveloping. In many ways I felt as though I was a kid at Disney World....This is Not A Theatre Company take it upon themselves to actualize the premise of Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris in a fantastic fury of red wine, soft cheeses and broadly characterized homage. They create an evening of boundless fun."
-Wesley Doucette for New York Theatre Review, 6/12/14
"...exciting and innovative...A Serious Banquet is definitely a dinner party that will leave a positive taste in your mouth and you will be more than satisfied you attended."
-Zak Risinger for Theatre is Easy, 6/13/14
"More than a gimmicky name, the sobriquet “This Is Not A Theatre Company” reflects Erin B. Mee and Jessie Bear’s immersive-theater vision, which is realized with gusto in A Serious Banquet. Their new show/dinner party riffs lushly on a birthday party given by Pablo Picasso in his Paris studio for Henri Rousseau in 1908 and recounted by Gertrude Stein in The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas."
-Jon Sobel for Blogcritics, 6/5/14
"[A Serious Banquet is] creative, fun, and inlaid with nuggets of humor...the play succeeds in emanating instances of cubist reverie."
-Zak Risinger for Theatre is Easy (theasy.com) 2/10/14
"Jessie Bear is one of the most amazing playwrights around. No one knows about her yet because she just graduated from NYU’s Dramatic Writing Program. I knew her as an undergrad – she was one of my students."
-Erin Mee, Interviewed by Jonathan Mandell (New York Theater) 1/28/14
MAKESHIFT (Nov 6-10, 2013)
"Murmuration Theater's new play MAKESHIFT throws us right into the middle of two different stories, and figures we're smart enough to figure out what's going on. The show doesn't dole out much information, and when it does, it's timed for maximum effect. Once you get enough to realize the show's central conceit (which is quite nice, and unfolds so organically that I'd hate to spoil it), the earlier scenes come into better focus and make more sense."
"When everything settles down, though, and all the pieces have clicked into place, what you're left to discover is something sad and beautiful - the dull ache left by something very important which you long ago forgot you'd lost"
-JB Farley for phindie.com 11/8/13
"You don't always have to know exactly what is happening in a play. It is OK to have the carpet pulled out from under you, to lose everything in a foul swoop. Surrender to disorientation. This is essentially what Bear's play is about."