Synopsis/Details
All Accolades & Coverage
Donna Hoke has crafted a piece which is simultaneously realistic and surreal - we recognize these characters, this couple, from our own lives, as people we know, people we spend time with. Yasmine, with a caring heart and passion for life, and Cane, with an easygoing attitude and carefree outlook. We learn and understand who these people are - separately and together - and are destroyed with them at the end.
After about 10 pages into THE WAY IT IS, I realized I recognized Cane and Yasmine in several of the people I already know, and could see the brilliance of Donna Hoke's writing talent. Visceral and unapologetic, layered and true to the character, Donna is deserving of all the awards she's won.
Excellent read!
THE WAY IT IS upends pre-conceived notions of sexual assault and gender conformity; what’s shocking is how vicious Hoke gets, and how quickly; this tight, tense little piece packs a lot into its 65 pages, leaving one breathless and more than a bit unsettled.
The characters are flawed humans, who could maybe find their better selves in other circumstances, but like many toxic relationships - it can be a hurricane swirling from two directions to create extremely dangerous conditions. I commend Donna Hoke's handling of the subject matter with an empathy and emotional depth that is sure to lead audience and readers alike to question where they may have equally succumbed to patriarchal conditioning.
An unsettling and effective piece that challenges the viewers' assumptions. Beneath the urgent and at times shocking unfolding narrative and denouement is also a complex exploration of the ways that toxic patriarchy informs our ideas of power and distorts the agency of folks who don't identity as cismen. Yasmine is an endlessly interesting character because of this exploration--yes, we cringe and gasp at what she does, but it is clear how her twisted sense of what should happen is informed by years of such conditioned/ingrained societal messaging.
THE WAY IT IS is a tightly-paced drama that turns the tables on our preconceived notions. A challenging and disturbing piece of theatre.
A simple setup hides the startling emotional depth of this play. Two characters with opposing goals and desires, yet still drawn to each other, with no easy way out. Even in their mistakes, you find sympathy in their actions.
An extremely disturbing work. Read it a few days ago and still processing it. Re-read it again. Neither character is all that sympathetic and each shows cruel tendencies; one wonders how they made it through eight years together. Still, a very powerful piece that challenges traditional ideas.
