"A drama that uses the historical lens of the Armenian American experience to illustrate the enduring hypocrisies of our country's racialized system of immigration." --The Pulitzer Prize Committee Though the Cartozians prefer to bury their memories, Monahon does not let her audience forget that this family was fleeing near-complete elimination.A breathless stretch of humor will crest and then be punctuated by a dark turn, or a haunting and meditative stillness.The play leaves the question open: Was that a journey forward, or back? Toward home, or away from it? -- Vulture The funniest new play of the year.Talene Monahon unearths a forgotten Armenian-American story, giving it a wonderful modern spin." -- The Wrap " Meet the Cartozians is an altogether excellent play that meets the moment with effortless precision, trusting us without holding our hands.Monahon makes these thorny, dialectical, Facebook-thread debates about race, religion, and assimilation not just engaging but genuinely fun." -- TheaterMania "A play that asks big questions about identity, personhood, and nationality, but grounds them thoroughly in character; a play that shows the subtle divisions inside an insular community but also sweeps across a hundred years, looking from two different centuries at what it means to be American, what it means to be white, and what it means to be accountable to a community with its roots in historical trauma.

" -- Exeunt "A smart, rueful comedy of genuine substance, Meet the Cartozians probes racial identity then (1924) and now (2024) -- New York Theatre Guide "A deeply personal play with wide-ranging appeal.a sprawling, fascinating work of historical fiction that examines ethnicity, history and family legacy.Monahon leaves us with plenty to think about." -- TimeOut New York "Who is categorized as white in America? Talene Monahon's Meet the Cartozians examines the question through courtroom arguments, family conflict, and reality-TV spectacle. Her smart, complicated play tackles identity and assimilation, asking who is allowed to assimilate, manipulate, or escape the label of 'model minority'?" -- 1-Minute Critic.