Red Theater

This is my second encounter with JuCoby's writing, and I can't wait to read more. Each of 5's characters is real, appealing, provocative, believable. I could listen to them talk and watch them interact in their world for hours. JuCoby is clearly interested in themes of love, reconciliation, legacy, and time, and weaves narrative through those with a graceful intention. Would LOVE to see the "magical" elements of this one come to life on stage. A place for Right Now, if there ever was one.

Justice Hehir has created such an engaging, curious, fun world with characters who are a squirmy joy to get to know. Her dialogue is sharp, winding and overlapping in wholly believable ways. This play depicts shame, people succumbing to it and overcoming it together. It's a thoughtful, sexy peek into when and how we choose to reveal our vulnerable sides and share (sometimes cramped) space with others doing the same.

A seething satire that punches you right in the gut mid-doomscroll. SMJ deftly uses surrealism and humor to shine a flashlight on the underbelly of today's American Everyman. This play is both a horrifying cautionary tale and an unexpected call to empathy that your brain won't soon let go of.

A vulnerable, sensual story about what it means to claim one's freedom, this play is a special take on the Western form. Come for the gorgeous prose, stay for the deeply nuanced portrayal of Black people seeking the most out of love and life.

BILLIE is everything you want in a love story: sensuality, confidence, grief, humor, self acceptance. It's a beautiful example of a play's capacity to choose intentional windows of time to bring to life that provide larger context for lives fully lived. Can't wait to read the rest of the Oklahoma cycle!