According to Lincoln Center's new LCT3 project at its slogan, it takes "New Audiences for New Artists." It also takes new critics, hence the establishment of Theater Talk's New Theater Corps in 2005, a way for up-and-coming theater writers and eager new theatergoers to get exposure to the ever-growing theater scene in New York City. Writers for the New Theater Corps are given the opportunity to immerse themselves in the off-off and off-Broadway theater scene, learning and giving back high-quality reviews at the same time. Driven by a passion and love of the arts, the New Theater Corps aims to identify, support, and grow the arts community, one show and one person at a time.

Sunday, March 09, 2008

FRIGID '08: Clinical Depression (the funny kind)

A comedian tries to find the humor in his own brain in this surprisingly heartwarming one-man show.

Reviewed by Ellen Wernecke

To perform comedy is to put one's foibles and quirks front and center, but Drew Wininger takes it one step further by making his struggle with depression the center of his one-man show (presented as part of the Frigid Festival). Wininger traces his path through illness from a teen suicide attempt through several therapists and multiple drugs using slideshows, music and props like the Snoopy doll he still sleeps with. Wininger manages to make his personal history funny without trivializing the depth of his problems, or resorting to the usual cliches of the genre. But the show in general rests on the likability of Wininger, whose aw-shucks demeanor shows as genuine even when his revelations aren't particularly unique.

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