Mad Forest: A Play from Romania

Mad Forest is a very interesting play written about the Romanian Revolution of 1989. Written in three acts, Churchill explores human behaviors and reaction pre-, during, and post- revolution. The second act is written in a documentary style while the first and third acts center around the impact of the revolution/dictatorship on two families. Definitely keep an open mind when reading. I found it helpful to read the play more than once and to also do some outside research to develop a more comprehensive understanding of the play, as parts can be confusing at first. It is a mix of feminist (I think), expressionist and realistic theater. Some scenes are focused on family life/relationships, while others introduce a magical, surreal element (Ex: Dog and Vampire scene, Grandma's ghost visiting scene).The Amazon Kindle version of the play was good. However, I do wish they had included page numbers and links to the scene titles in the table of contents to make it easier to find these parts of the book during class discussions and scene work.

Love Love Love this play. Caryl Churchill is arguably the best British female playwright of her time. It's informative in regards to what it's like to live through war. the best scene in the play is the vampire and the dog scene. It is suspenseful and yet it says something about war and how it affects even the animals and in this case the supernatural beings.

Through many voices, through many silences, two Romanian families - one rich, one poor, tell a tale of a journey through the dark tunnel of fascism.

This is a telling, realistic, emotional piece; I was greatly affected by the transition during the revolution. After reading it, I purchased copies for friends.

The play is a wonderful play that deals with a very difficult time in Romanian history. My favorite scene is with the vampire and the homless dog.

Great Read!

Hard to comprehend, hard to follow, but interesting facts about Romania.

Great play. Unfortunately it is becoming more relevant.