Luna Gale
“Director Brandon Woolley understands Gilman’s script well and this is a strong production. The show flows effortlessly, taking its subject matter seriously, but never so seriously it feels bleak. It’s a show that has to hold contradictions. One of the ways he pulls this off is by bringing Gilman’s humor to the forefront. It’s a surprisingly funny show; there are a lot of big personalities bouncing off each other. Caroline serves as the straight man of sorts, her business-like demeanor grounding the script.” -The Oregonian
”There is a moment in CoHo’s astounding new production of Rebecca Gilman’s Luna Gale when a mother learns a stomach-churning secret about her daughter. Yet she doesn’t scream, shake her first or exclaim that it can’t be true. She simply freezes as still as a photograph. That is what it feels like watching Luna Gale. Gilman’s story of a brutal custody battle in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, may not be soothing, but in the hands of director Brandon Woolley and his ferociously committed cast, it is spellbinding.” -Oregon ArtsWatch
Darcelle: That’s No Lady
“With a snappy book by Triangle founder Don Horn, poignant songs composed with Portland musicians, and airtight direction from Brandon Woolley, "Darcelle: That's No Lady" crystallizes into a finely focused, Broadway-ready production rivaling the Gloria Estefan, Berry Gordy and Carole King jukebox musicals that have played Keller Auditorium in recent years.” -The Oregonian
Mary’s Wedding
"Do you love Forrest Gump, Our Town, and Anne of Green Gables? Many or even most people do. That type of lovability also graces Mary’s Wedding, and will no doubt provide a refuge from the tempests of modern complication to those who seek a family show, a simple show, a sweet story, a date night. ... This is romance. This is innocence. Don’t overthink it, but do appreciate it while it lasts. It won’t stay this way forever." -Oregon ArtsWatch
"It is a small gem that resonates with the big universal themes of who we are, what we stand for, and how we as humans behave, not just during those fleeting, joyous times, but when the big, horrible things in life occur ... The brilliantly simple set of bare logs, the sounds of thunder that presage the horror of the trenches, and the solid theme of horses in peace and in war, build this enchanting and unforgettable play into more than the sum of its parts." -JudyNedry.com
A Christmas Memory/Winter Song
2018 - A soothing reprieve from what you're hearing at Starbucks, in grocery stores and while on hold with Alaska Airlines, the double bill of "A Christmas Memory and Winter Song" wraps non-traditional holiday music in a thoughtful, theatrical narrative. Created by singer and multi-instrument musician Merideth Kaye Clark and director Brandon Woolley last year, the bipartite presentation has returned for a second run at the Ellyn Bye Studio at the Armory…Feeling cranky, ecstatic and exhausted this time of year? Take comfort in this pitch-perfect pairing of warm words and unexpected holiday melodies.” - The Oregonian
2017 - “What's your favorite holiday memory? A large gathering of family? That time you spent Christmas alone in a foreign country? Whatever it is, take it with you to Portland Center Stage and share it with your fellow revelers at A CHRISTMAS MEMORY/WINTER SONG. This show is like comfort food -- warm, nourishing, and just exactly what you want on a cold winter's night…I keep coming back to the word warm because it's the best descriptor of both the show itself and the feeling I had while watching it. The show captures the complex feelings surrounding the holidays and is an antidote to the hectic activity it's so easy to get caught up in during the season. I recommend it very highly.” - Broadway World
Sex with Strangers
"Both actors are in command of their characters' needs, vulnerabilities, changes and libidos. And Smith and Slavick bring the most important thing to this play: bubbling, believable sexual chemistry. … Danielle Slavick and Christopher M. Smith are two highly charged sexual magnets that pull you right into the fun." -The Oregonian
"It's hard to imagine two characters more different than Olivia and Ethan. She's a neurotic intellectual who's always cleaning; he talks with his mouth full and pees with the bathroom door open. But it doesn't take long for these polar personalities to wind up doing the nasty in Sex With Strangers, playwright Laura Eason's ode to romance in the age of Wi-Fi. ... with its sharp dialogue and nuanced performances, the play is satisfying in the way that whipped cream is: a light treat before bedtime—the perfect nightcap and maybe even better than sex." -Willamette Week
"Laura Eason’s script has a lot more going on in it than intimacy between strangers. The current state of the publishing industry and how writers navigate it are central to the show. ... The dialogue is snappy and Eason really allows the audience to get to know the characters. They feel like real people and we find ourselves admiring and despising them at different times. ... It raises some interesting questions about the nature of relationships and publishing but doesn’t go on to answer these issues. It’s not meant to. This is a story about two people, dealing with these questions in their own way." -PQ Monthly
The Few
“It’s a play as much about its container as its contents…Samuel D. Hunter…wrote The Few for a small theater like the CoHo, with its three-quarter circle of 95 seats. He wrote it to be told in the round, with stage blocking getting the performers close to the audience. He wrote The Few about the rural Pacific Northwest, about isolation and everyday human attempts at togetherness… CoHo Productions has done a bang-up job presenting it with nuance and vigor.” -Portland Mercury
“Hunter has a sharp ear for drifty, natural dialogue and sun-seared Idaho wisecrackery. And this play cements the playwright’s non-condescending fondness for outcasts reaching out from desolate, one-room spaces…Too many playwrights search for meaning onstage only through the severely moneyed. Hunter’s oddballs are so ground level, they aspire to blue collar...Director Brandon Woolley and his hat trick of actors have most certainly put in the work fleshing out the needs and nuances of these characters.” -The Oregonian