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Outgrowth by Toby Malone

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  • Lisa Dellagiarino Feriend:
    9 Dec. 2021
    “ Well this one will stick with you. The story of an Australian man with a big beard (which he eats!) and an inability to settle down, this unique play has Alby, his best friend, and his wife, talking to the audience, telling Alby's story to us and occasionally acting bits out. Projections are also used throughout the play, making the whole thing feel like a wonderful, theatrical story. A play about restlessness, home, fears, and how little we sometimes know the the ones we love, this play and its three characters will stick with you. Poetic! ”
  • Maximillian Gill:
    9 May. 2021
    “ A play that had me at the opening description. Malone gets so much drama out of the struggle of a man grooming his facial hair that I was instantly hooked. Little did I know how much this simple image would dominate this incredible play. Alby is a figure painted both broadly and intimately, a force of nature that we grow to love just as the other characters do. He is also a testament to the maxim that you can know nearly everything about a person but hardly know them. The writing is wonderful, poetic, and deeply evocative. A triumph. ”
  • Ky Weeks:
    26 Apr. 2021
    “ Begins with an image that's intimate as well as unusual and unsettling to encounter so openly in a play. And then Malone's powerfully worded play spirals out from that image to encompass a character, unusual and hard to fully grasp at first, but treated with such tenderness, detail, and intimacy, that his life and journey take root and grow into something painful and moving. ”
  • Jacquelyn Floyd-Priskorn:
    4 Dec. 2020
    “ Outgrowth is an epic memory play about a man and the secrets he kept from those who loved him most, as well as himself. Secrets manifested in the hairs that grow on his face. Just as they begin to grow and stir to the surface where they would be visible to all, he must dig them out and swallow them again. He is so desperate to be free, but also embraces the loves that tie him down. Quite an amazing and unusual character study for all 3 characters. Quite a journey that always ends up home. ”
  • Emma Goldman-Sherman:
    18 Aug. 2020
    “ The pain that drives Alby, in this beautifully rendered character study, is pain we can all relate to, and Malone has done a great job maintaining the tension that drives this play forward to its inevitable end in order for us to recognize that pain and understand - to a greater extent than usual - what is generally incomprehensible to us all. Well done! ”
  • John Mabey:
    14 Jul. 2020
    “ Outgrowth is beautifully written and an amazing character study. It also uses monologues to an amazing extent I've not seen before - they could easily make strong stand-alone pieces but together comprise such an engaging and heartfelt play. The characters are complex and dynamic. Especially powerful is the exploration of the meaning of 'home' and what it means to let go, discovering where you truly belong and the ways we allow ourselves to be seen along the way. There is true poetry in this play. ”
  • Doug DeVita:
    5 Jul. 2020
    “ Story theater at its finest, Malone's "Outgrowth" is engrossing from start to finish. Compelling characters telling a compelling story with lyrically intense purpose, this is a piece that can be performed anywhere: on a stage, on a screen, in a Zoom format, around a campfire... anywhere a good story can be told. Beautiful work. ”
  • Daniel Prillaman:
    21 Jun. 2020
    “ Wow. Malone has crafted a truly breathtaking character study. “Outgrowth” is a beautiful and fascinating exploration of humanity, the meaning of home, the bonds of our birthplace, and the things we unlock in each other. Peel back (or pull at) any piece of the prose spoken by Malone’s characters (some of the most masterfully fleshed out I have encountered in a long while) and you will find a deep-running labyrinth of roots to sift through and unpack. The adventure here is on par with Bilbo or Odysseus, but far more intimate and internal. Stellar work. Produce this. ”
  • Tyler Joseph Rossi:
    18 Jun. 2020
    “ This is a wonderfully powerful deep-dive into what it means to be alive. The style choice of using long monologues helps the audience get up close and personal to our protagonist Alby and his often turbulent hurricane of thoughts. The dialogue in this play has the wonderful duality of being both lyrical and raw. It's a fantastic character study. Well worth the read. ”
  • Nick Malakhow:
    14 Jun. 2020
    “ Malone leaves no stone unturned in his examination of Alby. I love the insight we get past the sometimes-blustery and often-nomadic exterior of Alby to see someone struggling with internalized anxieties, troubles, isolation, and loneliness--a helpful reminder that a storm of complexity surges beneath us all, and that cultivating and nurturing relationships is a messy, complicated, and ongoing process. The monologic format both allows us to really dig into Alby's psyche, while also really fleshing out Natalie and Seth in a way that a more scene-oriented structure wouldn't necessarily allow. The dialogue is honest, raw, and lyrical. ”

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