The three characters at the center of the piece are all multi-dimensional and vividly-realized. I also feel I have a keen understanding of the world and other humans around these people without having those folks onstage. Maxine, in particular, is an admirably nuanced and complex human! Brandon explores the bounds of friendship, acceptance, and preconceived judgments and the ways those things collide with intersectional identity. There are no easy answers, which I appreciated as well--it mirrors the way we oftentimes must learn to live friends who are growing and learning and messing up even as they nourish us.

This play was a SEMIFINALIST for the 2017-2018 In-Progress New Play Reading Series at Unicorn Theatre in Kansas City, Missouri. It is our pleasure to support MAXINE, AND.

A tightly woven drama with humor and tenacity. It addresses families and a range of gender and cultural identities. At the heart of this play is the friendship between Maxine and Louise. Equally compelling is the love Maxine has for her foster child, whose absence in Maxine’s life is palpable, and her conflicting feelings for Louise’s friend and Angela’s new love interest, a young trans man. Brandon’s delicate touch when addressing how these complex characters question, accept, or deny their urges makes this play fascinating and believable. Brandon poses tough questions that will provoke audiences.