Best of 2019

The Wolves

Anthony Byrnes, KCRW
"Alana Dietze brought “The Wolves” to life at Echo Theatre Company. A girl’s indoor soccer team reveals the complicated lives of teenage girls through the weekly routine of pre-game practice. Like many of the plays on this years list, this play is just the latest chapter in a longer journey. Ms. Dietze has directed a string of plays at the Echo, including “Dry Land” and “A Small Fire,” that have provided tender, poignant and fierce windows on the female experience. If you don’t know her work, you should."

​photo by Darrett Sanders

Charles McNulty, The LA Times
"Through the overlapping dialogue of a high school girls’ soccer team, playwright Sarah DeLappe glimpses into the souls of her characters and, by extension, into the soul of the nation. Teamwork was the key to the Echo Theater Company production, which featured an unerringly naturalistic ensemble (under the direction of Alana Dietze) maneuvering with agility between the quotidian and the tragic. Review"

The Recital

Anthony Robinson, NoPro's Top Moments of 2019
"Chatting with Simon’s Ex-girlfriend Before The Recital"During that fun-filled moment when the doors to a show first open and you’re awkwardly trying to figure out where to turn your attention, it’s great when someone reaches out and helps to steer you towards the drink table. In this particular moment, it was both a blessing and a curse to get chatted up by Jen (played by Alana Dietze), the seemingly self-absorbed violinist and ex-girlfriend of former prodigy Simon. During an intense couple of minutes, it felt like I was having a genuine reunion with an old college acquaintance. The wine-fueled gossip reminded me of the LA parties where you’re cornered by someone puffing themselves up, ladling out biting tidbits (in this case about Simon’s fall from the spotlight), and taking your measure, all the while scanning the room for someone better to be “seen” with. Jen ended up having to excuse herself to refill her drink after eyeing Simon’s current girlfriend, in a moment that was so natural that I did a double take when she started up the exact same conversation with another audience member."

​photo by Annie Lesser