The Nebraska Project presented by Bruised Orange Theater Company at The Side Project

Chicago Reader - Highly Recommended

"...Mounted by the young, young Bruised Orange Theater Company in a Rogers Park storefront that seats only about 30 people, The Nebraska Project is the sort of bare-bones marvel Sills would have appreciated. The script, written by Clint Sheffer from a story created by the ensemble, builds on Bruce Springsteen's 1982 Nebraska album—a somber ten-song panorama of hard-luck America, leading from Charles Starkweather's Nebraska killing spree to a dead dog on New Jersey's Route 31. The attempt to stay true to Springsteen's lyrics sometimes gets too literal, leading to implausibilities in the plot. But there’s absolutely nothing implausible about the cast's ferocious commitment and skill."

Windy City Times - Somewhat Recommended

"...It's a valiant but frustratingly flawed effort. The Jerseyites in the story speak with backwoods Georgia accents. The plot is preposterously contrived and disjointed. A cast of five portrays eight characters, switching genders and generations with ease as they embody the characters of Springsteen's lyrics. For those in the know, it's a thrill to finally ”meet” the brother from “State Trooper” or the man mourning his dead dog in “Atlantic City.” For the rest, this Nebraska is inaccessible."

Time Out Chicago - Somewhat Recommended

"...Unfortunately, the rambling poetry that can be so conducive to folk music doesn’t always serve the dramatic event, and despite committed work from a resourceful young cast, Scheffer’s textual sauntering and inertia occasionally allow his audience to space out. Even with his excellent ear for piss-and-vinegar dialogue, Scheffer tends to repeat himself."