REVIEWS AND RAVES

ON JENNA IN WHEN WE WERE YOUNG AND UNAFRAID AT THE KEEGAN THEATRE:

​"It is infinitely watchable, leaving just enough room for the audience to make their own decisions in the end. It packs a punch, thanks in large part to the stellar performance of Berk. In a time when we can talk so much more freely about violence against women than we could ever before, in a time where we can exact change, When We Were Young and Unafraid is a great place to start." (Julia Hurley, DC Metro Theater Arts)


"Jenna Berk as Mary Anne rides the highs and lows of her violent trauma, and revels briefly in playful moments while never quite losing her nervous energy." (Evann Normandin, Broadway World)

On Jenna in ​The Two Noble Kinsmen at Brave Spirits Theatre Company:

"For whatever reason, likely the combination of Berk’s stellar performance and a ferocious clarity of purpose in Smith’s direction of this storyline, The Two Noble Kinsmen crackles to life with the Jailer’s Daughter in a way it never quite does in the rest of the scenes. Berk is often very funny, always deeply sensitive, and full of a magnetic stage presence. Her story flies forward, barreling towards its inevitable conclusion, and you never doubt for a second the complex arc of emotions played out by Berk, or the confidence with which Smith uses the storyline thematically. Between both shows, the Jailer’s Daughter is the best reason to visit these productions." (John Dellaporta, DC Theatre Scene)

"Better still is Jenna Berk, playing the jailer’s daughter, who frees Palamon out of love but is driven insane when he refuses to return her affections. Shakespeare and Fletcher declined to give this character a name, which only adds to the chilling nature of Berk’s performance: She cries and sings in her own universe, often abused by the other characters in her precarious state, lamenting how little her love—indeed, her very existence—seems to change the world around her." (Andrew Lapin, Washington City Paper)

"Thanks to the line readings of Willem Krumich as Palamon and David Mavricos as Arcite, their childish behavior is set against their ritualistic code of honor, and the play continues as a most intelligent comedy, with Jenna Berk's heart-rending Jailer's Daughter serving as tragic relief." (Eric Minton, Shakespeareances.com)
View More