Date Play

by Ashley Siflinger

Tessa just got out of a long relationship, Marcus is a serial dater, and The Waitress is an embodiment of toxic empowerment...or a projection of our own anxieties…or a shapeshifting demon. Part rom com, part fever dream, Date Play is an expressionistic adventure comedy that examines all the things we do instead of listening to each other.

Tessa just got out of a long relationship, Marcus is a serial dater, and The Waitress is an embodiment of toxic empowerment...or a projection of our own anxieties…or a shapeshifting demon. Part rom com, part fever dream, Date Play is an expressionistic adventure comedy that examines all the things we do instead of listening to each other.

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Date Play

Recommended by

  • Tom Moran: Date Play by Ashley Siflinger
    “

    Got to see this at the Valdez Theatre Conference and enjoyed the hell out of it. I'm not even sure I know what it's about: the anonymity of the service industry, the awkwardness of first dates, and the morphing state of relationships over years are all running themes in a richly layered 3-hander. But the repartee is so crisp, the characters so relatable and the milieu (and menu!) so richly described that I was content to just let it flow over me like a pomegranate magic shell.

    Got to see this at the Valdez Theatre Conference and enjoyed the hell out of it. I'm not even sure I know what it's about: the anonymity of the service industry, the awkwardness of first dates, and the morphing state of relationships over years are all running themes in a richly layered 3-hander. But the repartee is so crisp, the characters so relatable and the milieu (and menu!) so richly described that I was content to just let it flow over me like a pomegranate magic shell.

    ”
  • B.Z. Florida: Date Play by Ashley Siflinger
    “

    This script is alive. It's centered around a first date, but it takes unusual turns to really dig into what intimacy means over the course of time.

    I was unable to tell where it was going from moment to moment. Its energy is honest and undeniable.

    This script is alive. It's centered around a first date, but it takes unusual turns to really dig into what intimacy means over the course of time.

    I was unable to tell where it was going from moment to moment. Its energy is honest and undeniable.

    ”
  • C.C. Gallagher: Date Play by Ashley Siflinger
    “

    I adore this play. I had the opportunity of seeing it read at the 2026 Valdez Theatre Conference and was thoroughly impressed by its surreal, magical, and experimental nature. The comedy is top notch and the relationship between the characters felt nuanced and fascinating.

    I adore this play. I had the opportunity of seeing it read at the 2026 Valdez Theatre Conference and was thoroughly impressed by its surreal, magical, and experimental nature. The comedy is top notch and the relationship between the characters felt nuanced and fascinating.

    ”
View all 6 recommendations
TESSA: (F) Mid to late thirties open ethnicity
MARCUS: (M) Mid to late thirties, open ethnicity
THE WAITRESS: (F) Open ethnicity