The Censorship of Dreams
Written by Nora Sørena Casey; Directed by Arthur Makaryan
Ellen Stewart Theatre at La MaMa | 66 East 4th Street, New York, NY 10003
May 1-17, 2026
Photo Credit: Marina Levitskaya
One of the best things I've ever done is bring my friends who are decidedly not in theatre to watch a show at La Mama with me. The set design, sound, lighting, acting and writing never fails to amaze me. 'Censorship of Dreams' was no exception.
From the moment we entered the space, I felt transported to the future - albeit a bleak one, however imaginative. One where stray pairs of shoes ominously line bleachers, LED lights pulse and sparkle, and characters move as though they're being pushed and pulled on invisible strings.
The play itself feels particularly difficult to describe with words, as all I felt throughout was the constant rise and fall of emotions that modern life does everything in its power to suppress. As we follow a married couple (or, at least, they assume they were married before their memories were wiped in what they dub 'The Restart), this world where words are confined and dreams are currency began to come together in fragments. In exploring the dynamic between this couple - one who is loyal and one who feels something is a little off - we begin to uncover the twists and turns and whispers of revolution in their world.
Every actor in the small cast was magnetic, living fully and presently in their characters’ circumstances. A common pitfall I see in futuristic, science fiction plays tends to be the story’s ability to take what we know in our present society and amplify it to make whatever dystopian future we see believable. This show did an incredible job of pulling from pieces of media that we recognize as audience members, without taking us out of the play itself.
There were echoes of history throughout the piece, showing how it doesn’t frequently repeat itself, but it often rhymes. By having a major character be exceedingly loyal to the increasingly authoritarian society, it made my friend and I wonder how we would act if we were in their position. Would I question anything? Or would I keep my head down and try to be content?
Perhaps the most striking moment of this show was a monologue delivered directly to the audience. Calling us out for our complacency in and out of the four walls of the theater. A constant reminder; ‘Is this all we can do? Can we be better? Have we ever been better?’
I was haunted by this play. Not only because of the spectacular atmosphere, the performances so wonderful they didn’t feel like such, but because of the command to turn inwards. What would I do? Can I be better? Have I ever been better?
These are questions I have asked myself increasingly over the past few years, but seeing it thrown back in my face felt strangely cathartic. These are the questions we need to not only be asking, but answering. Coming up with real, solid responses and plans. ‘Censorship of Dreams’ provided a vehicle for these questions, despite the difficulty. That’s nothing short of incredible.
Click HERE for tickets.
Review by Niranjani Reddi.
Published by Theatre Beyond Broadway on May 7, 2026. All rights reserved.