For the Chorus in The Oresteia:
Helen Hayes Award (Washington Theater Guild): Nomination for Outstanding Ensemble
“Blistering…powerfully urgent…The long, polyphonic scene in which they [the Chorus] work out the human meaning of justice is the moving culmination of a play in which words have mostly been weapons.”
Jesse Green, The New York Times
“Heart-stopping.”
Peter Marks, The Washington Post
“Stunning…The way McLaughlin’s words sound in your ears and are beautifully spoken by the actors is ambrosia.”
Jayne Blanchard, DC Theater Scene
“The Oresteia’s chorus is reflection of our internal moral compass, particularly as the play explores the development of democracy and the implementation of justice. Deservedly so, the chorus has received numerous accolades already for their moving and harmonious reflection of ourselves.”
Jaya Ghosh, The Rogers Revue
“Does not disappoint…The Shakespeare Theatre Company’s Oresteia is a consummate illustration of society’s ongoing fractures and efforts at adaptation.”
Barbara MacKay, DC Metro Theater Arts
“Breathtaking, deeply satisfying…Five Stars.”
Kate Wingfield, Metro Weekly
“…one of the best parts of the production is the wonderful performance of the chorus as its members debate justice. And, as a political and contemporary work—the Greeks used the theater to educate the public, after all—it is enthralling.”
Abid Shah, Washington City Paper
“…striking, stirring, and evocative - five stars…Under Kahn’s seasoned direction, these eight [members of the Chorus] transform McLaughlin’s adaptation into theatrical astonishment, worthy of direct praise from Dionysus…The Oresteia is one of the singular best instances of ancient Greek drama brought flawlessly and effortless into a contemporary context without sacrificing the nature of its design.”
Amanda N. Gunther, Theater Bloom
“…extraordinarily talented cast…What's notable is that although they blend and work as a supportive unit, each member has the skill and stage presence to carry a larger role; the actors' ability to shine and melt back into the group is remarkable.”
Rachel Goldberg, BroadwayWorld.com
For Eleanor and others in Henry VI:
Drama Desk Award: Nomination for Best Revival
The New York Times “Critic’s Pick”
"…Gloucester’s fortunes fall, sunk in part by his own imperious wife (the excellent Sophia Skiles)…"
Laura Collins-Hughes, The New York Times
"The dynamic Sophia Skiles looks daggers and speaks flames as Eleanor, the scheming wife of Humphrey of Lancaster, […] appealing, expert ensemble […] Moreover, I’m grateful that NAATCO gives work to some of the city’s finest Asian-American talent. Casting agents and artistic directors, take note: Enlisting a diverse group of players is a surefire way to make ancient texts release truly universal music.
David Cote, The Village Voice
"This is a production, too, that’s also potently pointed in its casting of women in men’s roles. The first three lines of the play are each delivered by women playing men, […] When the plotting but powerless Duchess of Gloucester (a dynamic Sophia Skiles) imagines what she would do “were I a man,” there’s a bonus layer of crisp emphasis, since we’ve just seen Skiles as the Duke of Bedford and Sir William Lucy. […] brutal, compelling, and shrewd, this is American Shakespeare at its most epic and alive.
Dan Rubins, Theatre is Easy (theasy.com), “Best Bet”
"Sophia Skiles seems to bring power and punch to any role she touches, be it the chivalrous Bedford or the ambitious Eleanor Cobham […] but it’s worth noting that the significance of such a production comes no less from its technical and artistic merit than from the milestone it represents in diversity and representation. Already rare are the Henries, rarer still is seeing Shakespearean histories performed by an all-Asian cast, with the fluidity of the casting extending also to gender. This is not done out of necessity—truly, the roles for which strong, memorable performances were given could not have been better cast. This fluidity is the greatest marvel of Shakespeare and its enduring modernity, that the story can be that of whoever chooses to tell it. That Asians, with as much right as anyone to the story, are given this opportunity to tell it, is a celebration long overdue."
Austin Yang, Front Row Center
“The fine ensemble…impressively acted.”
Jacob Horn, Curtain Up
“Not to be missed…magnificent production…a thrilling and beautifully produced examination of Shakespeare’s earliest historical dramas.”
JK Clarke, Theater Pizzazz
For other work with National Asian American Theater Company:
“[The House of Bernarda Alba is] a first-rate revival…a fine cast.”
Wilborn Hampton, The New York Times
For Linda in after all the terrible things I do:
“Incredible, indescribable, infuriating, inflammatory, intense […] When Linda's moods alternate between the bewildered mother of a gay son, Issac, and someone who mentors and oversees Daniel, Sophia Skiles completely inhabits her character while evoking sympathy and rage from the audience.”
Peggy Sue Dunigan, Broadway World
“Junek and Skiles are two actors at the top of their game.”
Dave Begel, OnMilwaukee
“Smart, sensitive and well-acted […]; Linda [is] quietly and expertly graphed by Skiles.”
Mike Fischer, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
“It’s a play that demands actors who are willing to go deep, and The Rep has found two performers who take on the roles with both honesty and restraint […] Through subtle physical control, Sophia Skiles projects Linda’s hidden pain from the first scene, long before we learn her complete story. […] In the hands of thoughtful performers, there is both hope and unease in the “strange quiet excitement” that fills the theater as the lights fade.”
Paul Kosidowski, Milwaukee Magazine
“The play’s credibility is completely dependent on its two actors, and they rise to the occasion. […] Skiles gives us a maternal Linda throughout, one who calls her staff a “family” and treats them as such, unfairly at times. But it’s her own family that we slowly learn more about, including her son, an unseen character who becomes a focal point for the two. […] As the play progresses, Skiles gives us a glimpse into Linda’s rage, as well as her slow understanding of the futility of that rage.”
Anne Siegel, Wisconsin Gazette
“Both actors deliver stunning performances […] As Linda, Sophia Skiles embodies a woman at a stage of life where maternal instinct forms a complex union with self-interest and self-reflection.”
Selena Milewski, Shepherd Express Milwaukee
“Powerfully and beautifully rendered by [Skiles]. “
Julie McHale, Greater Milwaukee Today
For work with Crossing Jamaica Avenue Project:
“Ms. Skiles has an expressive face and a lovely, melodic voice. Under the direction and choreography of Sonoko Kawahara, she, like the other performers, acquits herself with grace and precision.”
Phoebe Hoban, The New York Times
“In Sophia Skiles, who plays the author of the Sarashina diary from adolescence to old age, the production finds a warm and sympathetic center.”
Helen Shaw, The New York Sun
“[The ensemble of Broken Morning is]…attractive, exuberant… flexible and dedicated…”
Joan Larkin, Citysearch.com
“[Sophia Skiles] stands out as the most interesting…”
Joshua Tanzer, Offoffoff.com
“Thought-provoking and touching, [these are] well-trained, compelling actors. Of special note is Sophia Skiles, who is superb as an inmate with a young son who visits her weekly, as Chuck, a terrifying teenage rapist-murderer, and as the mother or a son who was brutally murdered in his sleep.”
Tom Browning, Theatrescene.net
“The cast does outstanding work…with conviction and intelligence and subtlety…Broken Morning is compelling storytelling of the highest order…This is theatre at its best, doing what theatre does best. It is not to be missed.”
Martin Denton, nytheatre.com
“Skiles, a precise, radiant actor…”
David Cote, Time Out New York
“Skiles’ performance is the strongest element in a strong production.”
Andy Buck, In Theater New York
For the title role in The Mystery of the Charity of Joan of Arc:
“The holy stillness of this Target Margin Theater production, masterfully evoked by director David Herskovits and his excellent ensemble, encourages the unhurried contemplation of this mysterious little play […] Sophia Skiles portrays Jeanette with subtle, resonant warmth and steadfast strength. She lends modest conviction to Jeanette's searching piety…”
Gordon Cox, Newsday
“An elegant, minimalist production…”
New Yorker Magazine
“David Herksovits wisely focuses the three fine actors on the language […] The three women in this cast are up to the challenges presented. There is a genuineness in Sophia Skiles' Jeanette that filters her passion and anguish through the lens of a young woman, "different" no doubt, who is seeking her own inexplicable truths.”
Les Gutman, Curtain Up
“It's a credit to the strength and intelligence of these three actresses that they are able to comply with the strict aesthetic limitations placed on them by the director while still making the performances their own, stamping them with their own creative marks […] As Jeanette, Sophia Skiles engages debates respectfully, quietly, but with an embryonic rage that intimates her imminent transformation into Joan of Arc. […] All three actresses perform with a precision and subtlety that mark them as a credit to their craft.”
Frank Episale, Offoffoff.com
“All three actresses give lovely performances. Sophia Skiles, as Joan, brings a richness to the text even through its stylization…”
Nicholas Seeley, Off-off Online
“As the torn Jeannette, Sophia Skiles is subtle and effective. She seethes with outrage and pain, and suffers on behalf of everyone. She prays and she ponders, even as she spins yarn…”
Kessa De Santis, ElectronicLink.com
“The actresses bring these characters and Péguy’s discourse to vibrant life. Sophia Skiles makes for a quietly angry and gently fierce Jeanette.”
American Theater Web
For Allison in Blue Sky Transmission, A Tibetan Book of the Dead:
American Theater Magazine “Editor’s Pick”
“Sophia Skiles, graceful in a physically demanding role…”
Neil Genzlinger, The New York Times
“A fine performance by Sophia Skiles…”
Fran Heller, Backstage Regional Roundup
“Sophia Skiles commits herself utterly to a brave performance that is unmoored from the usual concepts of character. Skiles speaks the play’s dialogue with a seriousness that brings a sense of clarity to the evening.”
Aaron Leichter, nytheatre.com
“Sophia Skiles, as Allison, is in fact an excellent choice, quite believable and sympathetic in every segment.”
Michael Lazan, Backstage Show Guide
“Sparkles with energy and invention, with terrific performances by an outstanding cast...Allison, strongly played by Sophia Skiles…”
Tom Penketh, Backstage.com
For Isabella in Measure for Measure:
“Kiely directs this difficult comedy with assurance and wit, with a handful of very fine turns by Sophia Skiles…”
David Cote, Time Out New York
“The cast of this particularly vigorous Measure is fully in sync…Sophia Skiles proves more than the Duke’s match as a particularly fiery Isabella, Measure’s nun-in-training.”
Jen Hendricks, Show Business Weekly
“Kiely's sizable ensemble of 20-plus actors sink their teeth into the text and the concept…with strong performances--especially from Sophia Skiles as the Sister who insists and resists.”
Drew Pisarra, Citysearch.com
For work with Baubo Performance Project:
Across, Chicago Reader Theater “Critic’s Choice”
“Talented, intriguing...Skiles’ lush vocal range and and her startling specific gestures make her exciting to watch.” Carol Burbank, Chicago Reader
“Powerful…it’s a shock to hear words come out of [Skiles’] small, delicate body so deep and resonant, as if a Cassandra were caged inside her bones.”
Laura Molzahn, Chicago Reader
For HereAfter:
“The ensemble all deserves equal, and honorable, mention — Thomas J. Cox, Christine Dunford, Raymond Fox, Nadine George, Michael Rohd, Sophia Skiles, Andrew White and Meredith Zinner…the theatricality of the evening is brilliant.”
Dan Zeff, Copley News Service
“Disturbing, richly imaginative…the protean cast — Thomas J. Cox, Christine Dunford, Raymond Fox, Nadine George, Michael Rohd, Sophia Skiles, Andrew White and Meredith Zinner — never fails to ignite us with its fire.”
Hedy Weiss, Chicago Sun-Times
For The Phantoms of King Lear:
American Theater Magazine “Editor’s Pick”
“Sophia Skiles is extraordinary as Edgar…she whirls through the play like a cool fire and handles Shakespeare’s language beautifully.”
Marianne Evett, Cleveland Plain-Dealer