Shannon Leigh Webber and Delaney Vallese
Tin Drum Theatre Presents A DARK WOOD Review - Believe It Or Not, It Can Get Worse
TLDR: Feeling like a modern day Fahrenheit 451, A Dark Wood hits almost too close to home. In this dystopian future, higher education and having books are criminal offenses. The script and cast build this world piece by piece through three unique scenes following a trio of siblings as they all navigate this new society.
Renzo Vicente and Carlos Andrés Mai
We’re in the Worst Timeline
Living in a militarized police state.
People calling facts fake and banning books.
Disappearing people who oppose the policies.
You might be surprised to know I’m not talking about our current state in which we joke that we’re living in the worst timeline. Though it’s hard to imagine things getting worse, in Tin Drum’s production of A Dark Wood they take us on a journey of an even more bleak timeline.
In an unknown year in a dystopian future, this country has been through an event called “The Fix.” Knowledge and higher learning is now against the law and the government with its militarized police force has banned books. Educators are now in hiding and referred to as “termites.” We find all this out through three distinct scenes that reveal information about the world our characters currently live in.
As we drop into the opening scene of A Dark Wood, almost like a prologue, three young adults run between dark brown beams like we’re in the middle of a woody area. They’re playing a game of hide-and-seek when the oldest stops and stares up. She runs out the theater door while her sister and brother disappear back into the woods in different directions signaling each of them now on their own paths after this event. The three are now separated and we get to see what paths they follow in their individual scenes.
Raúl Alonso and Delaney Vallese
The Same World. Three Different Lives.
Apart from the terrifying possibility that we’re on this timeline, the cast does a fantastic job creating this world and the characters living within it. Throughout the three scenes, we see where these three siblings have ended up after “The Fix” and the people they meet along the way.
Earthworm (Renzo Vicente) is now at “The Mouth” hoping to leave this place and makes friends with his tentmate Montrose (Carlos Andrés Mai). Montrose has been here for a while (even he’s lost track of how long) and shocks Earthworm initially with his survival skills in the encampment. But the two form a friendship and we see how they pass the time waiting to see if their number will be called to cross the river and get out of here.
We move to the second scene where his sister, Hummingbird (Delaney Vallese) is secretly continuing her school lessons with former teacher, Miss Vivian. She knocks their secret knock and then barges in filled with strong opinions about Pride and Prejudice. Shannon Leigh Webber as Miss Vivian has all the patience in the world and laughs a gentle laugh at Hummingbird’s teenage emotions before beginning their lessons for the day. But when her skeezy landlord, Dipper, comes to investigate the loud voices, Raúl Alonso plays him so perfectly that we hate him the second he comes in the door. He takes full advantage of his position of power and we see how little choice the two women have.
And finally, our last scene is the oldest sister, Armadillo, played by Marlee Feacher. Feacher has the hardest task of a full scene of a solo monologue. She comes out in full riot gear and explains how the power being on the force makes her feel. In an almost non-stop run-on sentence, she paints us a picture of her time on the force, how she got there, and the out-of-character twist that creates a completely fitting ending.
Though each scene stands alone, it tells a complete arc for the characters in it and we see how each faction of life in A Dark Wood is getting by.
Marlee Feacher
The After Party Thoughts
A Dark Wood is one of those works that doesn’t spell out everything for the audience, but rather gives context clues through the dialogue and the small things the characters do to world building. Using one teabag for two cups of tea to ration it. Cinnamon rolls and other pastries are a luxury because of the food and sugar privileges. Water is polluted and cancerous.Their clothes are all dirty, worn, and patched up. So while it may take a few minutes for us to get oriented to each scene to understand the context, eventually we’re sucked in and need to see what happens next.
A Dark Wood is everything I love about small Chicago blackbox theatre productions. The set is simple, but effective. The story is compelling. The acting is superb. And it carries weight without being too heavy. For those that don’t need to be reminded of what could happen if we stay on this timeline, this show may not be for you. But for those that are fans of Fahrenheit 451, other dystopian/sci-fi works, and would be inspired by the challenge this show presents, A Dark Wood would be a great fit for you!
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
Carlos Andrés Mai and Renzo Vicente
When
Now through November 1, 2026
Where
The Greenhouse Theater Center
2257 N Lincoln Ave.
Chicago, IL 60614
Runtime: 100min, no intermission
Tickets
$18+
Tickets can be purchased through the Tin Drum Theatre Company website
Photos
Lance Sorenson
Find Allie and The After Party featured on Theatre in Chicago
Shannon Leigh
CAST
Renzo Vicente (Earthworm)
Delaney Vallese (Hummingbird)
Marlee Feacher (Armadillo)
Carlos Andrés Mai (Montrose)
Shannon Leigh Webber (Miss Vivian)
Raúl Alonso (Dipper)
Eric Hinkle (U/S Earthworm)
Bryce Ranee (U/S Hummingbird)
Anika Flores (U/S Armadillo)
Dimitri Marinakos (U/S Montrose)
Chelsea Bria (U/S Miss Vivian)
Michael Stejskal (U/S Dipper)
Shannon Leigh Webber and Delaney Vallese
CREATIVE
Eric Coble (Playwright)
Steve Needham (Producer/Director)
Jason Palmer (Production Manager)
Sil Rivera (Stage Manager)
Jack Edward (Assistant Stage Manager)
Will Hughes (Technical Director and Scenic Designer)
Kasey Wolfgang (Costume Designer)
Emma Berry (Lighting Designer and Master Electrician)
Zach Stinnett (Sound Designer)
Erin Alys (Assistant Director and Intimacy Director)