Closer Midwest Premiere Steppenwolf Theater Mainstage
by Patrick Marber. With Gary Cole & Bruce Norris
"Abigail Deser's Production is blindingly honest... modern, funny and disturbing.. complete with sexual jealousy, betrayal, guilt and forgiveness."
—Hedy Weiss for Chicago Sun‑Times
“A superb play with superb direction and acting…” — Copley News Service
Dido of Idaho LA Premiere
By Abby Rosebrock at the Echo Theater Company
“Presented in the round in a characteristically vibrant Echo Theater Company production under the acute direction of Abigail Deser…”. —Charles McNulty, LA Times
Deftly directed by Abigail Deser, the show is powerful, pointed, and poignant with solid performances and clever staging. -Broadway World
.Director Abigail Deser proves to be the quintessential person to interpret the dramatist’s signature voice, smoothly guiding her nearly perfect cast on the Knehans’ intimate set, with the viewers surrounding the actors placed so close that at one point an audience member had to uncross his legs as Nora began to hump Michael’s lap close enough for the scene to almost become an unexpected ménage a trois." - Travis Michael Holder
The Thin Place Westcoast Premiere
By Lucas Hnath at the Echo Theater Company
“director Abigail Deser allows her performers to breathe into the spaces Hnath leaves. “—Harker Jones – BroadwayWorld
“As usual, the Echo’s production is terrific. Director Abigail Deser keeps a low-watt tension flowing throughout and coaxes strong performances from her cast. Deser also designs the set which, in combination with Amanda Knehans effective lighting and Alysha Grace Bermudez’s evocative sound, create an elegantly austere backdrop for the play.” —Michael Van Duzer
Dealer’s Choice Midwest Premiere
by Patrick Marber: Roadworks at Victory Gardens
“Abigail Deser's unimprovable staging surges with ensemble electricity..." -Lawrence Bommer for Windy City Times
"Dealer's Choice is the theatrical equivalent of a royal flush. Directed by Abigail Deser, the production is so good it hurts." - Catey Sullivan for New City
"...director Abigail Deser pulls out all the stops in bringing this play to life. [She] recreates down to the tiniest detail, the reality of the play. [...] God is in the details. If you get them right, you can take any risk you want." -Jack Heilbig for The Daily Herald
“Dealer's Choice comes up all aces... Director Abigail Deser has honed her cast into an exemplary ensemble…the whole collective seems to breathe together. … Roadworks has dealt itself, and Chicago audiences, a winning hand.” - Jonathan Abarbanel for Chicago Sun-Times
This is Our Youth Midwest Premiere
By Kenneth Lonergan. Steppenwolf Theater Company
"..there's hardly a false moment in Abigail Deser's production [...] Abigail Deser's main contribution, as it was in her delightful staging of Dealer's Choice, is to create a production so vivid, so expertly detailed, so engaging, that one feels completely immersed in the action." - Adam Langer for the Reader
"The excellent director, Abigail Deser (Disappeared, Dealer's Choice), has found the play's perfect pitch. [...] You are inside this play at every moment, weeping either for your own lost innocence or your children's." - Hedy Weiss for Chicago Sun-Times