This is a fascinating, artfully structured play full of complex, lovable characters, brilliant opportunities for theatricality, and no easy answers. In fact, nothing about this play is easy, which is part of what makes this heightened theatrical world so compelling. The audience is forced into the shoes of the young protagonist as she does what she must to live with her trauma. The narrative plays with memory in unique and honest ways. If audience members are willing to trust the storytelling, they'll emerge from the theatre ready for complex, complelling conversations about memory, resilience, and the ways history repeats itself.

The community of national & local readers for the Bay Area Playwrights Festival enthusiastically recommends 30 SECONDS as a Semi-Finalist this season at Playwrights Foundation out of 755 plays. We were deeply moved by this story of anxiety & bullying of young people, navigating childhood memories which may or may not lead to healing. We were compelled by this play's promise, as it explores mental health of queer characters in relatable, refreshing ways. We hope this play is widely read, finds dedicated collaborators to continue working on the message of healing, and it moves swiftly towards production. #BAPF2021

A poignant, potent story that winds back and forth through time to illustrate the ways that kids, particularly women and femme-identifying folks, who are navigating trauma and betrayal are forced into resilience at a time in their lives when they need to be most cared for. Max and Dr. C are compelling central characters, and the entire ensemble is populated by interesting, complex supporting characters. I appreciated the powerful parallels Deely makes in juxtaposing 1999 with 2016, Max with Dr. C, the toxicity of Clinton's presidency and its fomentation into a horrifyingly enduring normalization of misogyny/hatred in our present.