We often don’t know how good we had it till that time has long passed. Those of us who came of age in the 1960s, despite the latter part of the decade’s Vietnam war protests and assassination horrors, can’t help but look back fondly at a time when we were young, passionate, and rebellious for equality. When we actually believed gathering and singing about border-free peace, love, and “Flower Power” could change the world.

For young women fighting for equal rights and pay, along with the freedom to choose a rewarding future not defined by marriage, the women’s liberation movement of the 1960s could be life changing. Maybe we all need to, as the Beatles’ song goes, “Get back to where you once belonged” and reclaim our better selves with more than fond nostalgia.

It never ceases to amaze me how the world turns from irrational prejudice and hate to a brief 1960’s “Summer of Love” and acceptance, and then suddenly we’re jolted back to being hounded by narrow-minded authoritarians. But at least, for now, we can still shout and make our voices heard. Ironically, many of today’s arguments for sexual identity acceptance were first given voice onstage by a gifted, empathetic Dutch female novelist and playwright who specialized in early 20th  century family dramas. 

Magic, mayhem, history and mystery like you’ve never experienced is astounding audiences of all ages at Theatre Lab‘s expanded new home at the Marleen Forkas Studio One Theatre of Florida Atlantic University. That’s where our most popular, family-oriented local playwright Gina Montét (of last year’s Heebie Jeebies fame) was once again commissioned to create a new play for the Lab’s annual Heckscher Theatre for Families series. Her play would also serve as Theatre Lab’s 2026/27 inaugural season opener, marking the notable new-play destination’s 21st world premiere production!

We are living in what many might consider “the best of times and the worst of times” and once again history “rhymes.” One of our most savvy, socially aware contemporary playwrights, Jonathan Spector, premiered his lovingly sardonic satire (yes, this brilliant playwright manages to walk that fine line) about privileged progressive parents debating vaccine mandates at a high-minded “woke” elementary school in Berkeley, CA, in 2018. EUREKA DAY was first staged pre-Covid, but just after the infamous measles outbreak in California’s Disneyland. Ironically, here we are again with anti-vaccination and anti-science politics dominating the scene, and measles, which was effectively “eliminated” in 2000, coming in at 2,500 cases thus far for 2026, including several deaths.