←Recommendations of VERTICAL CONSTELLATION WITH BOMB

Gut-wrenching and beautiful, and its metaphors on the human condition work on so many levels. It seems odd to mention structure when recommending a play, but this play is so completely theatrical (as in, it has to exist on a stage) that it deserves a shout out. The devices of direct address demand that you actively listen. Highly recommend!

A play dealing with heavy themes without being heavy-handed. Grounded in truth and in our world, yet reaching for the literal stars with its metaphors. This would be a fantastic little piece to see on stage.

A marvelous piece about turning pain into meaning and beauty so that new life can rise from the ashes. A story of the physical and the spiritual that transcends to the constellations. Well done.

There is such beauty in simplicity, and the beautiful simplicity of this play comes from the complex depth of its soul. Life, love, and loss are so delicately handled here, and the result is a work that both haunts and elevates. Absolutely lovely.

A beautiful, poignant piece that dances between poetry and vernacular — inviting questions about life, loss, our fragile bodies and the infinite heavens. I rarely come across a play that plays with the dynamics between head and heart, between ideas and earth-bound viscera, quite as well as this one does. It's stunning.

A devastating short play about loss and grief, and what, if anything, comes from death and war. It was heartbreaking and beautiful to read off the page, I can only imagine how incredible it would be to watch staged.

A humorous argument that leads to a sobering reflection on the value of our actions and efforts in the face of grief. Suilebhan doesn't let us soak in the sadness of the moment, however. Rather, we're invited to reflect and find new ways to cherish our loved ones and honor the memory of those long past. As these three unlikely characters come together for what could pass for a barroom joke (A nun, a sculptor, and a mother walk into a bar...) we are reminded of the unexpected support we receive from others sometimes. A fantastic, tender, and heartrending play.

One of the first short plays developed and produced by The Welders, VERTICAL CONSTELLATION WITH BOMB manages more formal invention than one typically sees in a short play, along with a healthy dose of pathos and a dollop of history, too. It's hard to believe how much is packed into only ten minutes.

This is a wonderful little historical play that takes a moment, a chance encounter between a nun, a bereft mother, and a one day famous artist, that takes a terrible tragedy of war and turns it into a life affirming art. Simple and lovely and poignant. City Theatre named this one of its finalists in the 2014 City Theatre 4 National Award for Short Playwriting Contest.