Here are a few images and press from some of Cristina Alicea's past productions.
Click on the pictures below to learn more about these shows.
Click on the pictures below to learn more about these shows.
Dancing Lessons by Mark St. Germain
"Director Cristina Alicea, the artistic director of Vermont Stage, guides “Dancing Lessons” on a touching and frequently funny exploration of life, specifically the difficulty we all face when confronted with the inevitability of change." - The Burlington Free Press
"The Vermont Stage production, directed by Cristina Alicea, the company's artistic director, proved delightful entertainment and more. Not only did it illuminate autism to some degree, it proved a most unexpected and delightfully awkward love story." - Rutland Herald
"The play is a romantic comedy, but it includes moments of such sharp tenderness that it's easy to forget they're wrapped inside a formulaic plotline. This production elevates the story to reveal its poignant core, without neglecting the comedy along the way." - Seven Days
"Director Cristina Alicea, the artistic director of Vermont Stage, guides “Dancing Lessons” on a touching and frequently funny exploration of life, specifically the difficulty we all face when confronted with the inevitability of change." - The Burlington Free Press
"The Vermont Stage production, directed by Cristina Alicea, the company's artistic director, proved delightful entertainment and more. Not only did it illuminate autism to some degree, it proved a most unexpected and delightfully awkward love story." - Rutland Herald
"The play is a romantic comedy, but it includes moments of such sharp tenderness that it's easy to forget they're wrapped inside a formulaic plotline. This production elevates the story to reveal its poignant core, without neglecting the comedy along the way." - Seven Days
Dancing Lessons by Mark St. Germain
"Director Cristina Alicea, the artistic director of Vermont Stage, guides “Dancing Lessons” on a touching and frequently funny exploration of life, specifically the difficulty we all face when confronted with the inevitability of change." - The Burlington Free Press
"The Vermont Stage production, directed by Cristina Alicea, the company's artistic director, proved delightful entertainment and more. Not only did it illuminate autism to some degree, it proved a most unexpected and delightfully awkward love story." - Rutland Herald
"The play is a romantic comedy, but it includes moments of such sharp tenderness that it's easy to forget they're wrapped inside a formulaic plotline. This production elevates the story to reveal its poignant core, without neglecting the comedy along the way." - Seven Days
"Director Cristina Alicea, the artistic director of Vermont Stage, guides “Dancing Lessons” on a touching and frequently funny exploration of life, specifically the difficulty we all face when confronted with the inevitability of change." - The Burlington Free Press
"The Vermont Stage production, directed by Cristina Alicea, the company's artistic director, proved delightful entertainment and more. Not only did it illuminate autism to some degree, it proved a most unexpected and delightfully awkward love story." - Rutland Herald
"The play is a romantic comedy, but it includes moments of such sharp tenderness that it's easy to forget they're wrapped inside a formulaic plotline. This production elevates the story to reveal its poignant core, without neglecting the comedy along the way." - Seven Days
The Mountaintop by Katori Hall
"Vermont Stage Company's production of the 85-minute one-act, directed by Cristina Alicea, focuses more on the deep social messages of Hall's play than on the humorous flirtation between a very human King and a young, attractive and seemingly available woman. On opening night, the audience gave The Mountaintop an immediate standing ovation. This is a play for our times. Hall's irreverent tragicomedy may not have answers, but it invites a discussion about how humans deal with hatred."
- Seven Days
"Director Cristina Alicea, the artistic director of Vermont Stage, encourages Garrett and Tyler to let their characters unfold without artifice. The larger-than-life civil-rights hero and the humble, mysterious maid seem on equal footing and of equal significance."
- The Burlington Free Press
"While 'The Mountaintop' is largely a comedy, it goes deeper than most dramas. And Vermont Stage’s production, directed by Artistic Director Cristina Alicea, plumbs those depths, having fun along the way."
- The Times Argus
"Vermont Stage Company's production of the 85-minute one-act, directed by Cristina Alicea, focuses more on the deep social messages of Hall's play than on the humorous flirtation between a very human King and a young, attractive and seemingly available woman. On opening night, the audience gave The Mountaintop an immediate standing ovation. This is a play for our times. Hall's irreverent tragicomedy may not have answers, but it invites a discussion about how humans deal with hatred."
- Seven Days
"Director Cristina Alicea, the artistic director of Vermont Stage, encourages Garrett and Tyler to let their characters unfold without artifice. The larger-than-life civil-rights hero and the humble, mysterious maid seem on equal footing and of equal significance."
- The Burlington Free Press
"While 'The Mountaintop' is largely a comedy, it goes deeper than most dramas. And Vermont Stage’s production, directed by Artistic Director Cristina Alicea, plumbs those depths, having fun along the way."
- The Times Argus
Gidion's Knot by Johnna Adams
"Director Cristina Alicea’s sharp and searing vision is evident in every detail. She does show and tell with an acute eye and ear, and one emotional wallop after another. ...there’s no mystery at all why Gidion’s Knot must be seen: The play, this production, and these performances are a master class in thrilling and illuminating theater."
- DC Metro Theatre Arts
"Acted with unimpeachable bite at Forum Theatre."
- The Washington Post
"In the spaces between, each woman displays a startling range of emotion that runs the gamut from anger to annoyance to despair to pride, with director Cristina Alicea coaxing affecting performances out of her two stars." - Washingtonian
"As powerfully acted by Carkuff and Clay under the direction of Cristina Alicea, it's quite easy to see the power/perspective differential between the two women and how personalities as well as initial judgments one makes about the other and vice-versa factor into how the nearly uniformly tense conversation plays out. Alicea, for one, seems to be more focused on the nature of the relationship between the two women rather than the what, why, and how of the events surrounding Gidion's suspension/death in her interpretation of the play. This is probably a good move because of those problematic plausibility concerns inherent in the plot."
- Broadway World
"Under Cristina Alicea’s direction, the play’s focus is on Corryn’s rage, and Clay is spot-on. You’ve heard of must-see TV? Well, this is must-see theater. I recommend you see Gidion’s Knot. You might be the better for it." - DC Theatre Scene
"Director Cristina Alicea’s sharp and searing vision is evident in every detail. She does show and tell with an acute eye and ear, and one emotional wallop after another. ...there’s no mystery at all why Gidion’s Knot must be seen: The play, this production, and these performances are a master class in thrilling and illuminating theater."
- DC Metro Theatre Arts
"Acted with unimpeachable bite at Forum Theatre."
- The Washington Post
"In the spaces between, each woman displays a startling range of emotion that runs the gamut from anger to annoyance to despair to pride, with director Cristina Alicea coaxing affecting performances out of her two stars." - Washingtonian
"As powerfully acted by Carkuff and Clay under the direction of Cristina Alicea, it's quite easy to see the power/perspective differential between the two women and how personalities as well as initial judgments one makes about the other and vice-versa factor into how the nearly uniformly tense conversation plays out. Alicea, for one, seems to be more focused on the nature of the relationship between the two women rather than the what, why, and how of the events surrounding Gidion's suspension/death in her interpretation of the play. This is probably a good move because of those problematic plausibility concerns inherent in the plot."
- Broadway World
"Under Cristina Alicea’s direction, the play’s focus is on Corryn’s rage, and Clay is spot-on. You’ve heard of must-see TV? Well, this is must-see theater. I recommend you see Gidion’s Knot. You might be the better for it." - DC Theatre Scene
Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike
by Christopher Durang
"Directed by Artistic Director Cristina Alicea, the production is decidedly an ensemble piece with a universally excellent cast. With “Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike,” Vermont Stage may have set a new standard for itself. It was simply deliciously entertaining." - The Rutland Herald
Vermont Stage Company's production elicits hearty laughs, and director Cristina Alicea succeeds at adding depth and warmth to Durang's silly story." - Seven Days
"Vermont Stage chose "Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike" to open its 21st season Wednesday night at FlynnSpace, and a fine choice it is. The words are witty, the performances high-energy and the overall vibe a complex pastiche of melancholy, ebullient and satisfyingly unpredictable. Director Cristina Alicea, the artistic director for Vermont Stage, keeps the more than two-hour play moving crisply, urging the actors to fire off bon mots at will yet leaving plenty of opportunity for well-placed silence to find its own laughs." - The Burlington Free Press
by Christopher Durang
"Directed by Artistic Director Cristina Alicea, the production is decidedly an ensemble piece with a universally excellent cast. With “Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike,” Vermont Stage may have set a new standard for itself. It was simply deliciously entertaining." - The Rutland Herald
Vermont Stage Company's production elicits hearty laughs, and director Cristina Alicea succeeds at adding depth and warmth to Durang's silly story." - Seven Days
"Vermont Stage chose "Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike" to open its 21st season Wednesday night at FlynnSpace, and a fine choice it is. The words are witty, the performances high-energy and the overall vibe a complex pastiche of melancholy, ebullient and satisfyingly unpredictable. Director Cristina Alicea, the artistic director for Vermont Stage, keeps the more than two-hour play moving crisply, urging the actors to fire off bon mots at will yet leaving plenty of opportunity for well-placed silence to find its own laughs." - The Burlington Free Press
Antigone by Sophocles
adapted by John Yearley (world premiere)
"The Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park’s popular Off the Hill series for families continues its 2015-16 season with ANTIGONE, John Yearley’s world premiere adaptation about a brave young woman who must choose between obeying the laws of men and honoring her loyalty to her family. ANTIGONE is an inventive retelling of the timeless Greek legend."
- Arts in Ohio
adapted by John Yearley (world premiere)
"The Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park’s popular Off the Hill series for families continues its 2015-16 season with ANTIGONE, John Yearley’s world premiere adaptation about a brave young woman who must choose between obeying the laws of men and honoring her loyalty to her family. ANTIGONE is an inventive retelling of the timeless Greek legend."
- Arts in Ohio
The 39 Steps adapted by Patrick Barlow
"Guest director Cristina Alicea, the producing artistic director of Vermont Stage, showcases the energy of the six actors with a flurry of action and a snappy, comic pace. Scene changes are torrents of activity. The actors hustle furnishings on and off in delightful bursts of frenetic energy, and a new scene starts before the perfectly trimmed lampshade stops shaking. Alicea incorporates slow motion and the sense of a moving camera while Hannay eludes cops on a train, slogs through moors, dangles from a bridge and generally does a great deal of surviving." - Seven Days
The Quarry by Greg Pierce (world premiere)
"Director Cristina Alicea uses that big, blank canvas to emphasize stylized movement in a stark, open space. She stages phone calls with two stationary people who make no eye contact as they speak, and has the actors portray the happiness of two honeymooners with joyous spinning. She emphasizes the script's abstract elements with ritualistic movement interspersed with naturalistic gestures." - Seven Days
"Cristina Alicea, Vermont Stage’s artistic director, directed this production, one of the company’s most imaginative and effective." - Rutland Herald
"...the cast of "The Quarry" with help from director Cristina Alicea wrangles the script's occasionally befuddling juxtapositions of time and space into a logical if fanciful whole." - The Burlington Free Press
"Director Cristina Alicea uses that big, blank canvas to emphasize stylized movement in a stark, open space. She stages phone calls with two stationary people who make no eye contact as they speak, and has the actors portray the happiness of two honeymooners with joyous spinning. She emphasizes the script's abstract elements with ritualistic movement interspersed with naturalistic gestures." - Seven Days
"Cristina Alicea, Vermont Stage’s artistic director, directed this production, one of the company’s most imaginative and effective." - Rutland Herald
"...the cast of "The Quarry" with help from director Cristina Alicea wrangles the script's occasionally befuddling juxtapositions of time and space into a logical if fanciful whole." - The Burlington Free Press
Venus in Fur by David Ives
"Unlike many plays that take awhile to develop, the Vermont Stage production presented Wednesday became fascinating almost immediately, thanks primarily to the work of the two performers and their director, Cristina Alicea, the artistic director of Vermont Stage."
- The Burlington Free Press
"The comic aspects emerge, but the subject matter has inspired director Cristina Alicea to take a quiet, respectful approach, the better to showcase the skills of the two actors. Alicea delicately persuades us that what we might dismiss as neurotic excess is actually far subtler. The gradual transition to the very first traces of pain or power is emphasized in this production... Thomas and Vanda dissect the nature of seduction, but in the end it is the viewer who is seduced." - Seven Days
"The Vermont Stage production, directed by Artistic Director Cristina Alicea, was taut, tense, unexpected and deliciously funny."
- Vermont Today
"Unlike many plays that take awhile to develop, the Vermont Stage production presented Wednesday became fascinating almost immediately, thanks primarily to the work of the two performers and their director, Cristina Alicea, the artistic director of Vermont Stage."
- The Burlington Free Press
"The comic aspects emerge, but the subject matter has inspired director Cristina Alicea to take a quiet, respectful approach, the better to showcase the skills of the two actors. Alicea delicately persuades us that what we might dismiss as neurotic excess is actually far subtler. The gradual transition to the very first traces of pain or power is emphasized in this production... Thomas and Vanda dissect the nature of seduction, but in the end it is the viewer who is seduced." - Seven Days
"The Vermont Stage production, directed by Artistic Director Cristina Alicea, was taut, tense, unexpected and deliciously funny."
- Vermont Today
boom by Peter Sinn Nachtrieb
"Directed by Cristina Alicea, the company's producing director, the production is intimate, imaginative and great fun... This first production bodes well for Alicea's second season at the helm of Burlington's only full-season professional theater company. For those who miss "The Twilight Zone" or love quirky little comedies, Vermont Stage's "boom" is a delight." - The Times Argus
"In opting for the Peter Sinn Nachtrieb script, Alicea shows that she’s not afraid to stage productions that are bizarre, profane, subtly funny and, above all, risky. Alicea keeps “boom” brimming with energy, though that’s not hard with the cast she’s chosen." - The Burlington Free Press
"Alicea directs her cast deftly through a script that blends clever repartee and ponderous musings in the confines of a single space. As Alicea demonstrated with last season’s The Clean House, directorially she’s adept at bringing energetic movement even to simple domestic spaces. Her actors always hit the boards in full stride." - Seven Days
"Directed by Cristina Alicea, the company's producing director, the production is intimate, imaginative and great fun... This first production bodes well for Alicea's second season at the helm of Burlington's only full-season professional theater company. For those who miss "The Twilight Zone" or love quirky little comedies, Vermont Stage's "boom" is a delight." - The Times Argus
"In opting for the Peter Sinn Nachtrieb script, Alicea shows that she’s not afraid to stage productions that are bizarre, profane, subtly funny and, above all, risky. Alicea keeps “boom” brimming with energy, though that’s not hard with the cast she’s chosen." - The Burlington Free Press
"Alicea directs her cast deftly through a script that blends clever repartee and ponderous musings in the confines of a single space. As Alicea demonstrated with last season’s The Clean House, directorially she’s adept at bringing energetic movement even to simple domestic spaces. Her actors always hit the boards in full stride." - Seven Days
The Clean House by Sarah Ruhl
"Alicea’s handle on Ruhl’s intent undoubtedly helped her draw terrific performances out of the quintet of actors, who make a potentially silly play about a Brazilian maid who’s more interested in her search for the perfect joke than in cleaning houses into something way, way deeper. “The Clean House” veers into the difficult-to-maneuver realm of magical realism but Alicea continually keeps things on track in a two-hour production that never loses focus." -The Burlington Free Press
"In her directorial debut as VSC’s new producing artistic director, Cristina Alicea distinguishes herself as resourceful and ambitious. This is a funny, clever play. But its humor derives from the complex interactions among characters struggling with thorny emotional circumstances. Under Alicea’s direction, the show wrangles this messiness into a breezy comedy that celebrates humor’s power to lift us out of darkness." - Seven Days
"The production represents an impressive directing debut for Cristina Alicea, the Burlington professional theater's new producing artistic director. Alicea is off to a great start, bringing refreshingly unusual theater that is truly satisfying." -The Times Argus
"Alicea’s handle on Ruhl’s intent undoubtedly helped her draw terrific performances out of the quintet of actors, who make a potentially silly play about a Brazilian maid who’s more interested in her search for the perfect joke than in cleaning houses into something way, way deeper. “The Clean House” veers into the difficult-to-maneuver realm of magical realism but Alicea continually keeps things on track in a two-hour production that never loses focus." -The Burlington Free Press
"In her directorial debut as VSC’s new producing artistic director, Cristina Alicea distinguishes herself as resourceful and ambitious. This is a funny, clever play. But its humor derives from the complex interactions among characters struggling with thorny emotional circumstances. Under Alicea’s direction, the show wrangles this messiness into a breezy comedy that celebrates humor’s power to lift us out of darkness." - Seven Days
"The production represents an impressive directing debut for Cristina Alicea, the Burlington professional theater's new producing artistic director. Alicea is off to a great start, bringing refreshingly unusual theater that is truly satisfying." -The Times Argus
Barrier Island by David Stallings (world premiere)
"The entire cast is Broadway-level. It's one of the best directed shows in terms of staging and emotional guidance and taste, that I've seen."
- Performing Arts Insider
"Incredibly moving... the direction is seamless and unobtrusive... Everything is just understated enough to let the story be the real star." -Theatre is Easy
"Director Cristina Alicea coaches these ensemble scenes well, striking the right balance between poignancy and humor." - Show Business Weekly
"The entire cast is Broadway-level. It's one of the best directed shows in terms of staging and emotional guidance and taste, that I've seen."
- Performing Arts Insider
"Incredibly moving... the direction is seamless and unobtrusive... Everything is just understated enough to let the story be the real star." -Theatre is Easy
"Director Cristina Alicea coaches these ensemble scenes well, striking the right balance between poignancy and humor." - Show Business Weekly
The Oath by Jacqueline Goldfinger (world premiere)
"The actors, under the direction of Cristina Alicea, perform admirably, growing ever better as the play progresses." - Backstage
"Director Cristina Alicea understands the turmoil of Religious oppression so well that she guides Flory to play Cebe with such pride and passion that even if she were getting hit, we would cheer her on as she went down."
- New Theatre Corps
"Under the guidance of director Cristina Alicea, each of the actors seemed to have understood the depth of the exceptional material, and showcases these characters to their full, sometimes frightening potential."
- OffOffOnline.com
"The actors, under the direction of Cristina Alicea, perform admirably, growing ever better as the play progresses." - Backstage
"Director Cristina Alicea understands the turmoil of Religious oppression so well that she guides Flory to play Cebe with such pride and passion that even if she were getting hit, we would cheer her on as she went down."
- New Theatre Corps
"Under the guidance of director Cristina Alicea, each of the actors seemed to have understood the depth of the exceptional material, and showcases these characters to their full, sometimes frightening potential."
- OffOffOnline.com
Anais Nin Goes to Hell by David Stallings (world premiere)
"[With] Cristina Alicea's subtle direction, and a compulsively watchable cast, this thoughtful two act is a uniquely polished presence at the Fringe." - The Village Voice
"Cristina Alicea's direction is wonderful. She brings the most out of the talented cast." - Broadway World
"Cristina Alicea did an admirable job directing this piece."
- NYTheatre.com
"[With] Cristina Alicea's subtle direction, and a compulsively watchable cast, this thoughtful two act is a uniquely polished presence at the Fringe." - The Village Voice
"Cristina Alicea's direction is wonderful. She brings the most out of the talented cast." - Broadway World
"Cristina Alicea did an admirable job directing this piece."
- NYTheatre.com