Janis Dardaris, Acting Coach

The Importance of Being Earnest

In drag or not, Lady Bracknell's full force is irresistible when played with nuance and an underlying but clearly potent sting.  It's at its very best whenever Dardaris is on stage. When she is in the room, she's the focus, no matter what else goes on. 
Howard Shapiro
The Philadelphia Inquirer

..."with a delicious cast that includes the remarkable and acclaimed actress Janis Dardaris as Lady Bracknell..."
The Philadelphia Weekly

Becky Shaw

The mother is played with unstinting dismissive virtuosity by Janis Dardaris.
Howard Shapiro
The Philadelphia Inquirer

Dardaris is especially captivating. A veteran performer who has long been one of the area's top actors. Dardaris' stern performance as Susan marks her second Barrymore-worthy portrayal this season.
J.Cooper Robb
Philadelphia Weekly

Scorched

Aadya Bedi, Jacqueline Antaramian and Janis Dardaris portray Nawal at different stages of her life, and they're all terrific, especially Dardaris who's amazing as the elder Nawal.
J. Cooper Robb
The Philadelphia Weekly

Side Man

As Terry, Janis Dardaris turns in one of the most moving and impressive performances of the year.
Clark Groome
Chestnut Hill Local

Probably the most memorable performance is the mother, Terry, played by Janis Dardaris.
Bob Koenig
Catholic Standard and Times

Janis' multilayered performance is so good that one gets the impression she is pulling the work of the others up to her level.
Bill Hayden
Sunday News Journal

A Moon for the Misbegotten

Janis Dardaris, in a performance so profound and luminous that it's worth the cost of a ticket itself.  It's enough to make a grown critic weep.

Clifford Ridley
The Philadelphia Inquirer

Dardaris gives Josie a quiet magnificence that is spellbinding
Brian Caffall
Philadelphia Weekly

Janis Dardaris's splendid performance, one you won't soon forget and the likes of which you're not likely to see again any time soon.
Clark Groome
Chestnut Hill Local

...the heartbreaking lead performance by Janis Dardaris was the season's best by a woman.
The Philadelphia Inquirer
Season's Best Picks

Quartet

Janis Dardaris slides from one persona to another with enormous confidence, her voice throaty, her accent unidentifiably European, her manner sleek, disengaged and dangerous.
Toby Zinman
Philadelphia City Paper

Dardaris is extraordinary in this intermissionless 70 minute play.  One could not perform material of such frankness and intimacy without amazing concentration, skill and commitment.
Mark Cofta
Main Line Times

Escape From Happiness

The engine of the play is the sarcastic, forceful Elizabeth and Janis Dardaris charges through with breathtaking energy and astute comic timing.
Douglas Keating
The Philadelphia Inquirer

...Janis Dardaris will do something so breathtakingly right that your mind is turned around entirely.
Brian Caffall
Philadelphia Weekly

...another brilliant performance by Janis Dardaris
Reviews in Capsule

Three Sisters

But in only one performance does it achieve an emotional honesty and eloquence that matches those of the script itself.  Her (Janis Dardaris) riveting performance is worth the price of admission all by itself.
Clifford Ridley
The Philadelphia Inquirer

Janis Dardaris' performance as Masha still haunts me..
Critics Picks

Janis Dardaris as Emilia, nearly steals the thunder of the bedroom scene from everyone else.
Dan Sigley
Morning Call

Janis Dardaris played Emilia with uncommon power
Back Stage

Emilia (Janis Dardaris) acted Desdemona off the stage.
Gerald Weales
Philadelphia Forum

Those Left Behind

Janis Dardaris in the role of Laura is a virtual textbook of vocal control.  Her face is unreadable, but her voice creates a character who can snap from injured bewilderment to cold threat from one sentence to the next.
D.J.R. Bruckner
The New York Times

...and best of all, Janis Dardaris flamboyantly convincing as the woman at the heart of all that mystery.
Clive Barnes
The New York Post

Road

“If ever an actress was handed a terrific scene and ran with it for all she’s worth, it would have to be Janis Dardaris playing Helen, the blowzy woman who’s brought home a virtually comatose soldier from the local disco.  What begins as a wildly comic sketch gradually grows darker, more affecting and finally, very sad as she attempts to seduce the man’s limp form.”
Toby Zinman
Philadelphia City Paper

Finding Donis Anne

As Rachel Janis Dardaris makes a very real, appealing character of this earthy, feisty determined woman who does what she must to survive.
Douglas Keating
The Philadelphia Inquirer

Her performance elevates this theater piece to the stature of a Faulkner novel.
Bill Royston
After Dark

A Lovely Sunday for Creve Coeur

The best performance however, belongs to Janis Dardaris as the conniving Helena.
Bill Royston
After Dark

Dardaris straddles the line between caricature and humanity as Helena, revealing glimpses of a human heart beneath her icy exterior.  She convulses the audience with her withering remarks.
John Chambliss
Arts and Entertainment