Irma at the Movies and Frozen at the 2006 SF Fringe Festival
SF Bay Times - September 21, 2006
Theater Review by Linda Ayres-Frederick - full review
". . .SF-based Lucky Dog Theatre recently presented two solo pieces as part of the 2006 SF Fringe Festival: Irma at the Movies, written and performed by LDT director Joya Cory (directed by Paul Heller), and with Frozen, written and performed by Craig Landry (directed by Joya Cory). Both hit the mark admirably.
. . .Cory wrote Irma at the Movies . . . as a response to the flood of violence in the entertainment media. Like Irma, she is baffled at audiences' appetite for films and TV shows packed with murder and mayhem . . .
Longer, yet equally thrilling, is Craig Landry's Frozen in which Etienne returns to visit his family in coastal Louisiana where a hurricane has swept ashore and flooding "
Mothers, daughters hattle at Oakland PublicTheater
Piedmont Post - May 13th, 2003
Theater Review by Robert Bee Hall - full review
". . .taut and watchable in the bare-bones but tightly knit production directed by Tracy Ward that Oakland PublIc gives it. Suzanne Voss evokes pity and terror as Claire, scuttling about the stage like a desperate animal; Hannah Evans inhabits the soul of a young teen on the brink of disaster; Erica Smith is the warm and steady Rachel, who knows what she wants and keeps doggedly after it; and Joya Cory is hard-as-nails Lily."
Avant-Garde Show at Fort Miley
San Francisco Chronicle - Theatre Review - September 14, 1989
By Bernard Weiner - full review
"Lauren
Elder's "Off Limits," a theatrical spectacle at Fort Miley, echoes previous outdoor shows by Snake Theater, Tony Pellegrino ("Wildcat Creek Project) and Murray Mcdnick ("Coyote Cycle"), but has stunning resonances of its own. This peaceful spirit hovered over the interactions...throughout. As directed and scripted by Joya Cory (with Elder), Louise is able to see the metaphorical angel and ghost figures - the symbols change and hope - but Chuck sees nothing but his TV images. The cumulative power of the piece is startling." - "Off Limits" was also in the Bay Guardian top 10 theatre list for 1989.
Getting a laugh out of mid-life romance
Marin Independent Journal - January 12th, 1993
By Nancy Steidtmann - full review
"T he play is a tight ensemble, well-paced, well-performed, both entertaining and conversation stimulating. . . .Joya Cory. . .dives into the heart of the matter to expose how difficult honest communication in a relationship can be."
Playbill - Love (sic)
Bay Guardian - June 3rd, 1992
By Susan Perry - full review
"With some keen observations on the dynamics between the sexes, Love (sic) is a tableau of fear and desire where the power of these self-proclaimed "feisty" women derives from their ability to keep hoping."
Pacific Sun
January 20, 1989
Theater - full
review
"Most of the
cast play more than one role, creating
an Everyman identification. Joya
Cory, Michael Johnson and Fred Franklin stand out
among the excellent ensemble, who'
bring out the play's liveliness and
humor along with the tragedy."
Pacific Sun
November 18th, 1988
By Laurence Brauer - full
review
". . .simple, straightforward characterization of the comedy and tragedy of human existence makes Charles and Mae Flower both funny and pro-vocative. In showing how to confront death, Nikas ably reveals how to come to terms with life. . .Cory makes Inge silly without being ludicrous,' allowing the audience's development of sympathy and understanding for In-ge to parallel the mother's relationship with her dying son."
Three Plays in Progress That Show Potential
By Bernard Weiner
San Francisco Chronicle - August 9th, 1986
"The three works-in-progress currently on view, through tomorrow, at the Bay Area Playwrights Festival are ambitious, serious efforts that speak well for the future of American theater. . . .aided greatly by Robert Woodruff's fascinating direction - which makes use of visual imagery, nudity and stage technology...Joya Cory, the narcoleptic mother...the excellent cast. and composer William Harper's compelling underscore. In the end, we are led to believe that the man on the train. who may well have been feigning madness, is the father who abandoned this family"
Performance
Artist Sees Paradise Paved
By Chris Orr
Review of "Miracle Mile"
"The themes of environmental and political issues are happily combined with the powerful visuals . . .Joya Cory's acumen in directing improvisation gives the show freshness and insights that we can all relate to "
