Press
★ ★ ★ ★ "This performance...would be unnerving at the best of times, but in a world where we see ever-increasing levels of violence and oppression to people who choose to speak out it is captivating, relevant and disconcerting. Lila Rachel Becker’s direction has culminated in a tense, thrilling hour that leaves us strangely hopeful. In a time where we’re challenged by an ever-changing political climate, bad things happen here asks how we might challenge the lies we’re told."
— The Skinny
★ ★ ★ ★ "Bold, unexpected and gripping, ‘bad things happen here’ is a brilliantly-acted feast for the imagination....The staging of the piece is expertly executed by director Lila Rachel Becker, who never has Carrero and Winstead linger on moments of tragedy or humour, but rather keeps the piece thumping with energy throughout....an urgent and brilliant reminder that theatre can and should be political." — The Mumble
A profile of Lila appeared in Wesleyan University’s newsletter.
Lila was proud to nominate collaborator Eric Marlin for 6 Theatre Workers You Should Know feature in American Theatre magazine.
What makes him special: “‘Eric approaches all of his work with clearly articulated intentions, combined with curiosity and openness,’ says Lila Rachel Becker, a director who met Marlin in the Iowa MFA program. ‘I was immediately struck by his generosity as a collaborator. With each of our collaborations, I’ve been more and more impressed by his courage and artistry.’”
"Director Lila Rachel Becker brought forth a strong ensemble work....The earnest Dan who just wants to help and the antics of fragile Laura are fascinating to watch unfold under Lila Rachel Becker's direction."
"Director Lila Rachel Becker deserves mention for wrangling involving performances and solid pacing into the best play of the night."
The Daily Iowan wrote a piece on Perils of the Flowerbed.
“Becker has been creative in attempting to bring this vision to life, developing the atmosphere of the show by holding rehearsals in the dark. Haze, candles, and moonlight are all depended upon in hopes of whisking the audience into the dark, fairytale-esque world. ‘The show pulls a lot from archetypes,’ Becker said. ‘It’s playing off of Bluebeard, it’s playing off of Little Red Riding Hood.’
However, just as the show’s rehearsal process spins away from the standard, Becker said the story takes a different turn on culturally familiar stories dealing with a loss of innocence. ‘We’ve been really conscious throughout the rehearsal process of how in every moment the play is subverting that narrative,’ Becker said.”
Lila’s work on 2PM IN FAITH, NEBRASKA was featured in the Daily Iowan.
“‘New Play Festival is this crazy time in the Theater Department when we produce four brand-new plays and a bunch of readings, all of which are never-before-produced scripts,’ said Lila Rachel Becker, director of 2 p.m. in Faith, Nebraska. ‘The process involves work on the script, where the playwrights refine their work. [Then] the entire department pitches in to act, direct, produce, build scenery, design, and crew the shows.’
UI graduate student K.T. Peterson, who wrote 2 p.m. in Faith, Nebraska, attested to the intense process associated with the New Play Festival. ‘New Play Festival is a weeklong, superhuman theater binge,’ Peterson said in an email to The Daily Iowan. ‘It’s a week of no sleep and impossible schedules, and it’s the best time of year. It’s raw creation, and community support, and peer celebration.’”
KET, a Kentucky public television program, documented the behind-the-scenes process for PREHISTORIC PROBLEMS by Aiden Phillips, produced in the New Voices Festival at Actors Theatre of Louisville.