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‘Alma Mater’ Review: A Timely if Overplotted Drama About Feminism and Academia
Justine Mitchell gives a fine performance in the Almeida Theatre production of Kendall Feaver's issue-driven play.
When too many contemporary theatre writers mistake the grinding of political axes for properly developed drama, it’s a relief to realize that Australian playwright Kendall Feaver is more than aware of the importance of well-peopled plot. Her campus drama “Alma Mater” is driven by fierce arguments around consent, abuse, personal responsibility, victimhood, empowerment, race and more, all of which are woven into a taut storyline. Nikki assumes responsibility not only for helping Paige but for turning the episode into a fight over rape culture, first with the college authorities, and then much more widely as everything moves onto the Internet with predictably disastrous ramifications.
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