What Reviewers Are Saying:

​"Seeley does a fantastic job keeping the bleeding heart pumping blood through the veins of Athena; she very clearly has guided her actors to focus on the love of the situation at hand, and this is apparent from the first meeting of these characters, to the final tears shed together. Every choice that was made in every beat change felt so real and organic to the character and the story as a whole and honestly, I didn't want the play to end."- Find MI Theatre

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"A smart, funny, and emotionally poignant coming-of-age story that explores friendship, identity, ambition and what it means to grow up in a culture that often teaches young women to see one another as hated rivals instead of companions." - Current Magazine

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"One of my favorite things about Theatre Nova is that it will never shy away from an unconventional story. Its latest production, Gracie Gardner’s Athena, is just that..." - Ann Arbor Observer

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"Any conversation about this play must start by acknowledging its unique physical demands—fencing skills and loads of fight choreography—but Theatre Nova has assembled a kind of stage combat dream team for its Athena. Pan and fight director Joe Wright are the founders of the Ypsi-based company Theatrica Gladiatoria, which specializes in “the art of dramatic violence,” and Batell and Amanda Buchalter (who appears in the play’s final scene) are certified TG students." - A2 Pulp

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"Jen Pan, who plays Athena, hooked us all in from their first battle cry... I was so mesmerized by both Pan and Brittany Batell's performance... Batell and Pan both made me believe we were all 17 again, handling the strange--yet true to character--dialogue and back and forth with ease and it made me feel like I was watching a story I had no business knowing about--that's how real it felt..."- Find MI Theatre

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"An aspiring marine biologist, she’s as tightly wound as her French braid. It would be easy for such a character to be flattened into a snooty high achiever, but Batell’s vulnerable, wide-eyed performance lets her develop into something more complex: naive, clever, romantic, passionate, silly. Meanwhile, Pan’s Athena, with her dip-dyed ponytail and punk-rock undercut hairstyle, is insecure and aggrieved. She fights dirty and talks dirtier. Pan is affecting and very funny..." - Ann Arbor Observer

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"The costume and lighting design (by Michaella Victoria and Jade Guerriero, respectively) is simple and beautiful, rendered in synthwave colors—Athena is associated with hot pink; Mary Wallace, electric blue. You don’t need to know anything about fencing to follow the sparring scenes, with the necessary information conveyed through flashes of color and gentle audio cues (Kennikki Jones-Jones has a knack for designing subtle, believable soundscapes)."- Ann Arbor Observer

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"The fencing sequences, choreographed by Joe Wright, are fabulously engaging; I could have used twice as many. Far and away the most riveting scene—on its own worth the ticket price—is the “final battle” between Athena and Mary Wallace, which held the audience rapt until we finally burst into cheers." - Ann Arbor Observer

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"People were abuzz with happy energy as we filed out of the theater, which is probably the best review a play like this can earn."  - Ann Arbor Observer

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"We need to see more women's stories in theatre. Where is the love? It's here. It's right here. And there's so much to give." - Find MI Theatre

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"Set designer Amanda Bates has reconfigured Theater Nova’s performance space so that the piste bisects it, with rows of seats flanking both sides. This brings audience members right up close to the action, making the women’s bouts more visceral. Jade Guerriero's lighting design sets the appropriate mood for each scene (and often conveys the passage of time); Michaella Victoria’s costumes provide another realistic, immersive layer into the world of competitive fencing; and Kennikki Jones-Jones’ sound design supplies an apt aural backdrop for the two friends’ high-stakes final duel." - A2 Pulp

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"Batell and Pan both look youthful enough to play teens and have the stage combat chops to pull off Athena convincingly—something I have to believe is a rare casting combination." - A2 Pulp

What Audiences Are Saying: 

​"A well orchestrated drama with an incredible fencing performance, as icing on the cake!"

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​"A tremendous amount of planning and staging for this unique performance. Well scripted, acted and directed. Theatre Nova always offers theater that makes you think. Bravo!"

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"Has to be the most physical play we have ever seen ... anywhere! Well done!"

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"Original, energetic, humorous, and heartfelt: a truthful take on the anxieties of female teens on the brink of adulthood."

 

"It was so engaging and funny, I would recommend it to anyone in the area! I was in awe of the fight choreo and the script was such a fantastic choice. I was laughing so hard AND biting my nails in suspense!"

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"It was simply phenomenal. I love those girls. I was those girls."

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"It was one of the best productions that I’ve seen this year if not the best. The acting, the directing, the lighting, the set and staging design, and etc were all incredible. We need more plays like Athena done. So few plays produced speak as well on non-cis male experiences as well as this one. It’s wonderful to feel intrinsically connected to characters in a piece of art. I’m so glad that I was able to witness it. I’ll be reveling in the experience for quite some time. I always think of theatre as a mirror of human existence and how well that executed depends on a lot of factors but god damn, was this a stunning reflection of the human existence. Tour?"

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"This play required a high level of talent in many areas. The actors’ experiences and fencing training made them uniquely perfect for these roles. Their ability to handle the complexity and pace of their characters was superb."

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"Wow. Physicality at its finest! I was mesmerized by the choreography of the fencing scenes! The story itself was very good and very well-acted!"

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"Kudos for such a marvelous production! The actors were exceptional and the script so engaging that the show flowed smoothly and rapidly. This is definitely a “must see” show!"

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"The cast was excellent, the story interesting, the venue intimate."

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"Athena was one of best plays I’ve seen: excellent actors & storylines."