Review Fix Exclusive: Alisha Espinosa Talks ‘A Crisis Called New York’

Review Fix chats with Alisha Espinosa, who discusses “A Crisis Called New York,” detailing the production’s creative process goals and future.

Performance Dates / Location: Kraine Theater, 85 E 54th Street, NYC
Feb 15 @ 5:30 pm; Feb 19 @ 3:30 pm; Feb 22 @ 7:10 pm; Feb 27 @ 8:50 pm; Mar 3 @ 6:50 pm

Review Fix: What’s your creative process like?

Alisha Espinosa: I’m an actor first and foremost so my creative process begins with an idea that I would like to play with and in. I like to create work that other actors would find fascinating and challenging. Something I probably shouldn’t admit about my creative process is that it’s completely cathartic. In her book of essays 100 Essays I Don’t Have Time to Write, Sarah Ruhl talks about her desire to take a timeout from her life so she can write, but ultimately realizing that it is her life, living fully in her life, that creates the conditions for her to write. I feel very similarly. My life is my inspiration and my guide.

Review Fix: What makes this different or special?

Espinosa: What I think is unique about this collection is its care for the issues facing twenty-somethings in New York City. As an actor, I rarely come across a play that treats characters between the ages of twenty and twenty-nine as real people with legitimate issues. The panic, identity-crisis, and chaos of living in New York as an emerging “adult” are growing pains that probably everyone has either gone through or is going through. That’s at the heart of this collection, and what makes it special is that I’m treating that transition with respect and spectacle and truth.

Review Fix: What did you learn about yourself through this process?

Espinosa: My favorite part about working in the theater is learning once again how beautiful and terrible it is to be human, but also learning that we’re not alone in that. My collaborators, Ben and the actors bringing this work to life, are so generous and perceptive. They help me learn that we’re in this together. It’s a blessing to see my work produced and to present it at the Frigid Festival. Step1 has embraced me as an artist with open arms, and it feels wonderful to have the opportunity to debut my work to the Indie Theater community. I hope they dig me as much as Janelle and Jazmyn do.

Review Fix: What are your ultimate goals for this production and for the future?

Espinosa: My goals for this production are to have a great show, and use this great collaboration to refine the plays. My larger goals aren’t very different from anyone else’s: make art, give visibility to the Afro-Latinx community, be awesome, smash the patriarchy.

Review Fix: What do you think your audiences will enjoy the most?

Espinosa: I think audiences will most enjoy the variety. Each play has its own unique set of rules regarding structure, realism, and magic. I think it’s a bit of a roller coaster in the best way.

Review Fix: What’s next?

Espinosa: I’m currently collaborating on a new webseries called F%#kboys: The End with my friend and colleague Nilan Johnson. I have two full length plays in development that I hope to workshop soon. As an actor, I’m going to be performing at the Kentucky Shakespeare Festival in several plays.

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About Patrick Hickey Jr. 14230 Articles
Patrick Hickey Jr. is a full-time Assistant Professor of Communication & Performing Arts and Director of the Journalism program at Kingsborough Community College and is the chairman of the City University of New York Journalism Council. He is the Founder and Editor-In-Chief of ReviewFix.com. He's also a former News Editor at NBC Local Integrated Media and National Video Games Writer at Examiner.com where his work was mentioned in National Ad campaigns by Disney, Nintendo and EA Sports. Hickey was also the Editor-In-Chief of two College Newspapers before he received his BA in Journalism from Brooklyn College. Hickey's work has been published in The New York Daily News, The New York Times, Complex, The Hockey Writers, Yahoo!, Broadway World, Examiner, NYSportScene Magazine, ProHockeyNews.com, GothamBaseball.com, The Syracuse Post-Standard, Scout.com and the official sites of the Brooklyn Aces and New York Islanders. His first book, The Minds Behind the Games: Interviews With Cult And Classic Video Game Developers was released in April 2018 and is chock full of interviews with legendary developers. His second book in the series, The Minds Behind Adventures Games, was released in December 2019. His third book, The Minds Behind Sports Games, was released in September 2020. His fourth book, The Minds Behind Shooter Games, was released in March 2021. The Minds Behind Sega Genesis Games and The Minds Behind PlayStation Games were released in 2022 and The Minds Behind PlayStation 2 was published in January 2023. Hickey is also a contracted comic book writer, currently penning his original series, "Condrey," as well as "The Job," "Brooklyn Bleeds" "Dem Gulls" and "KROOM" for Legacy Comix, where he serves as founder, owner and Editor-in-Chief. Hickey Jr. is also a voice actor, having starred in the 2018 indie hit and 2019 Switch, PS4 and Xbox One release, The Padre (also serving as English language Story Editor), from Shotgun With Glitters. The sequel, The Padre: One Shell Straight to Hell was released in February 2021- Hickey also served as a Story Editor and Lead Voiceover performer. He has also done narration and trailers for several other titles including The Kaiju Offensive, Relentless Rex and Roniu’s Tale. Hickey is also the lead voiceover performer on Mega Cat Studios’ upcoming title WrestleQuest, responsible for nearly 90 characters in the game, as well as Skybound's Renfield: Bring Your Own Blood, where he voices both Dracula and Renfield, as well as several other characters. He also stars in Ziggurat Interactive’s World Championship Boxing Manager 2, where he performs the VO of nearly every male character in the game. He also worked on the Atari VCS’s BPM Boy.

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