Before I was twenty years old, with my feet in the stirrups of a gynecologist’s examination chair for the first time, I had never heard the word vaginismus before. Have you?

We — Emily Chakerian and Maddie Rostami, staff members here at 3Views — arrived at the Schoenfeld Theater for The Notebook with few expectations. In what felt like a fluke, neither of us had seen or read the original movie or book. Neither, it seemed, had the woman seated to our immediate right. Nearly as soon as we sat down, she struck up a conversation — she didn’t know the story and was mostly here to see heartthrob John Cardoza (Younger Noah).

Award-winning writer Lucy Prebble’s play The Effect tells the story of Connie (Taylor Russell) and Tristan (Paapa Essiedu), two people participating in a pharmaceutical trial for anti-depressants who fall in love (but do they though?). It’s also the story of the doctors (played by Michele Austin and Kobna Holdbrook-Smith) who attempt to maintain the integrity of the trial.

Jen Silverman saw "I Love You So Much I Could Die" and felt called to write a response. Her essay prompted more responses, which we now present in the form of a modified 3-in-1 that speaks to the power of disrupting form in the American Realism Machine.

For the past few years, people in my life have asked me when I’ll leave the Washington, D.C. area and move to New York City. My artist aunt tells me that’s where she found a community of artists. College friends who grew up in the five boroughs ask me when I’ll “finally” pull the trigger and go. Even my coworkers say they can see me up there soon.

3Views is all about multiplicity. As editors, we’ve long wanted to bring in others to curate the shows we cover, rather than deciding amongst ourselves. We are excited to finally be at a place where we can make this happen. (First, we had to figure out how to fly this ship!) From now until June, and hopefully beyond the summer, you’ll see guest curators bring in writers they’ve chosen to reflect on shows they are curious about. They are in conversation with the reviewers, editing their pieces, and choosing how they are framed.

Dr. Berkley, I am at your door.‍You’ve been gone a long time. I’m awake in the middle of the night. Hear your voice like a call. You taught me to listen to calls.

As a poly-disciplinary artist manager, transition acompañamiente (doula), intimacy coach and ordained oracle, I have seen that the fear of death is a well-documented phenomenon that has shaped or, at minimum, influenced everyone's civic, private, and spiritual life alike. Theatre, like most rituals, is often a deliberate reflection of culture. I consider many of the storylines on American stages as proof positive that decomposition, when feared, turns life into an act of meaningless consumption.