National Merit presented by Boho Theatre at Theater Wit

Chicago Reader - Highly Recommended

"...My brother was a National Merit Scholar, and it was so important for me not to compete with him, risking either failure or success, that I overslept on the morning of the test and missed it. So the disproportionate urgency felt by these characters and the accompanying distortion of their behavior felt to me both real and vital."

Around The Town Chicago - Recommended

"...This is a play with a very good premise that raises critical issues about higher education in the United States today, more specially dealing with admission to colleges and universities and how test preparation companies have played a major role in the process. Not only have these companies sold the validity of their services to the parents directly but also to the high schools. While the point of taking the preparation course is supposed to help students to become faster and more proficient at taking standardized tests, the larger question is at what cost?"

Chicago Theatre Review - Recommended

"...While juggling grades, all kinds of personal problems and outside stress, kids are being indoctrinated by their parents and schools to strive, at any cost, for scholarships and entrance into prestigious colleges and universities. It doesn’t matter what the students want personally for their own lives. This is, after all, the American Dream. Average isn’t good enough. They must achieve superiority. So studying every waking moment, memorizing the test, losing sleep, denying individual goals, cheating, even buying their way to success—any method that works is okay, just as long you are the best. Sure, the cream rises to the top, but along the way it’s often curdled."

Splash Magazine - Recommended

"...One of the genius aspects of National Merit is how the teens themselves realize they are caught in a trap, aware that they must navigate the system according to rules, which as director Enrico Spada points out in his stage notes, “may not have their best interests in mind.”"

Busking At The Seams - Highly Recommended

"...BoHo Theatre returned to in-person, main stage productions with the world premiere of National Merit by Northwestern graduate Valen-Marie Santos over the weekend. And while the play questions what true success is, and what you have to give up to meet those marks, it was clear that BoHo theatre has found a new system that works for them. Traditionally focusing on hit musicals, their return to the stage highlights a new focus: premiering fresh voices."``