distill

Washington, D.C., resident Sean Dunn distilled that sentiment for the modern moment recently, standing outside a courthouse after being found not guilty of a misdemeanor for throwing a turkey sandwich at an immigration officer.

The skeptics’ most important point, as Mr. Easterly distills into modern political language, is that “development without consent is not necessarily progress.”

Described in the wall text as a “living matryoshka doll,” the collection of eight pieces shown on one model distills the V&R poetics: a powerful idea, a performance-oriented presentation, a sense of wonder.

Here, too, as in most of his plays, which feature small casts, Mr. Hunter shares with Beckett the impulse to distill—to create potent, meaningful drama from the most economical means.

In a standout scene that distills several kinds of awe into one, Amélie discovers that she loves rain, only to be told by the nanny that “ame” is Japanese for rain.