It is the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center's pleasure to recommend Julia Izumi and their play (An Audio Guide for) Unsung Snails and Heroes as a finalist for our 2020 National Playwrights Conference. This particular work emerged from a highly competitive, anonymous, and multi-tiered selection process to become one of 63 finalists out of more than 1,500 submissions. This enthralling piece galvanized the hearts and theatrical imaginations of our reading teams and is fully championed by our offices. We are honored to put our enthusiastic support behind this writer and their ongoing contributions to the American Theater.

I was engrossed in this play. The playwright has a strong voice and skillfully uses multiple theatrical tools in order to tell a historic, yet personal tale. It feels like a well-balanced piece in terms of caring about a few characters, learning about a difficult time/place in history, presenting it through a window of today, and bringing in some magical elements to add to the cultural storytelling.

Playwrights Foundation enthusiastically recommends this play, (AN AUDIO GUIDE FOR) UNSUNG SNAILS AND HEROES, as a Semi-Finalist for the Bay Area Playwrights Festival 2020. We were moved by the quality of the writing and the relevant and compelling themes that spoke to the mission of our festival. It excelled in a competitive process of 735 plays submitted this year and rose to the top after a six month long process discussing its merits with both national and local Bay Area readers, and we hope it moves swiftly towards production.