Comments from Reviewers

Orlando Eats Children With Wine

Strolling out of Dell'Arte's Studio Theater the other night, I felt filled up (no topping off, please) with joy and inspiration, carried along by a giddy cloud from theatre to my car, parked in that funky dirt lot behind the theater. The wobble equilibrium was induced by Lynn Horrigan's performance piece "Up in the Air" along with Alyssa Ravenwood's "Orlando Eats Children With Wine."

…I especially admired the writing and performance by Alyssa Ravenwood of her "Orlando Eats Children With Wine." It was mainly about sex for an audience of mainly "mature" people. Full of surprises, this cleverly and very tightly written coming-of-sexual-age comedy was a kind of farcical, improv-like operetta without the high-falutin' music part, if you get my drift. (There was a bit of music, a wonderfully smoky, blues number, "Down by Choice," which revealed Ravenwood's very terrific voice.) Add her exceptional physical comic skills, a breathless sense of timing, knock-down comic imagination - the paint roller sketch - and a willingness to take chances without pulling any punches, and you have a talent that is larger than big. She could act for the camera as well as in theater.

I was reminded of those chimeric early shows of Richard Pryor, Lily Tomlin and Whoopie Goldberg. Outrageously funny, true - and touching.

--Barry Blake, North Coast Journal Oct. 2000

Tales of Canterbury

The mask designs and constructions by Alyssa Ravenwood, Monica Roxburgh and director Shuhe are works of art.

--Steffen Silvis, Willamette Week June 2004

'Scapin' actors get physical to get their message across
“Portland Theatre is in the midst of a dubious drift towards turning plays into movies or television instead of capitalizing on what makes theater unique: the physical presence of actors in the room…What a delight, then, to see the actors in “Scapin” actually using their bodies to bring emotional and comic energy to this 1997 adaptation by Bill Irwin and Mark O’Donnell of a 300-year-old Moliere farce…

[Scapin] offers a good opportunity to see the very different commedia dell’arte style performed with appropriate exuberance and joy.”

--Michael McGregor, The Oregonian February 2004

Parallel Lives

True Collaboration wins in "Parallel Lives"…Alyssa Ravenwood and Tisha Sloan have taken on this play and given it a human quality all their own. The twosome are a cross between "Beavis and Butthead" and "Thelma and Louise," only more entertaining. They work off each other with precision comedic timing.
The magic in watching Ravenwood and Sloan perform is in the seriousness and truth they give to each character. They are skilled in their interpretation of the script's dialogue and never once were caught playing the scripts lines for laughs. Instead, they recited Gaffney and Najimy's words as if they were being spoken for the first time…

-Brenda Bishop, The Times Standard July 1996

(Parallel Lives) "…You will very likely laugh hard and be surprisingly touched by both the material and the performances. The packed house Saturday obviously had a great time. Viewers seemed to thoroughly enjoy all aspects of a show produced by Tracy Jordan French and directed by Alyssa Ravenwood…"

-Beti Trauth, Times Standard September 1995

Marvin's Room

"From the month of February, Marvin's Room at PAC was a definite success..."

-Tristin Tucker, Edge City March 1993