Exit Strategy Reviews
LA Weekly- Recommended
"...Anyone who's worked in public education in the inner city understands the extent to which impoverished American youth have been betrayed. Playwright Ike Holter, whose play Hit the Wall, a dramatization of events at Stonewall, swept the L.A. award spectrum a couple of years back, confronts this abuse by the powers-that-be in Exit Strategy, now playing at the LGBT Center (which co-produced Hit the Wall as well). The play is directed by Deena Selenow, and while her supercharged in-the-round staging doesn't always work to the play's advantage, the production, buoyed by two strong performances and an otherwise polished ensemble, scores a hit."
Stage and Cinema- Somewhat Recommended
"...So while it's unfortunate that we'll never see the two-act play Exit Strategy was meant to be, this in-the-round production at the LGBT Center-given top-notch treatment-is a recommended affair. There's enough urgency (sometimes too much; shouting equals inaudibility) in this tiny space to power up a generating station, shining light on the brutal situation we have placed upon our educators."
Stage Scene LA- Highly Recommended
"...A longtime teacher's unexpected reaction to the impending closure/demolition of the beleaguered Chicago inner city school she has for decades called home serves as catalyst to Exit Strategy, playwright Ike Holter and the L.A. LGBT Center's gripping, gut-punching follow-up to their 2015 critical/box-office smash Hit The Wall, and one of Fall 2017's must-see productions."
Stage Raw- Highly Recommended
"...Holter's beautifully written piece crackles with energy and passion - it hearkens back to those early British plays by Harold Brenton and David Hare in the way it combines issues and politics with emotion and personality. The action mostly takes place in the teacher's lounge at a beleaguered South Side Chicago public school. Directed by Deena Selenow, this intense production features an presentational style that feels both intimate and ferociously vivid. It carries you right along like a thrill ride, even when the subject matter is whether a local school will close down or not."