←Recommendations of Reason for Return

DC writes family drama SO WELL. The intimate scenes between mom and daughter, as well as daughter and boyfriend, and even mom's boyfriend and daughter, will all pull at your heart. Bombs are dropped, but recovered by extreme love and support. A great perspective on how guns can harm all parts of a community. This plays flows so well, and will have you wanting more from Cathro.

This play takes on the nearly impossible task of putting a personal, human face on a school shooting by making the cancellation of the classic teenage rite-of-passage (the PROM!) a flashpoint for more conflict in the horrifying aftermath. Cathro's intergenerational relationships are all amazing in this play, but the relationship between the mother & daughter at the center of this piece is absolute gold. The staging possibilities are exciting for a director & design team and the content brings up difficult issues we need to address. Brilliant work!

This piece takes the huge and all too relevant topic of gun violence and explores it in an intimate fashion through the lens of the event's impact on a family and their small business. The relationship between Gail and Abby is really the star here, and it is displayed with humor, warmth, pathos, and nuance. In looking at this tight constellation of people, Cathro comprehensively examines the fear, anger, confusion, and destabilization in the wake of this terrible tragedy.

Framing an unfortunately common-place tragedy like gun violence through the lens of a small, family-owned business and the effect of such an event on the family's ability to survive after it, Cathro has created a very timely and frightening piece of theater that tackles it's subject without becoming didactic or patronizing. I recommend it for production without reservation.

This play is defined one of it's first images: a tea kettle slowly boiling to a scream.
In the aftermath of a school shooting, protagonists Abby and Gail begin to boil as their respective reputation and livelihood are thrown into disarray. Cathro draws you in slowly, pacing a timely and realistic family drama, but there's something more that's bubbling: a social commentary on normalized violence, the lasting effects of trauma, and the complexities of intimacy. All blend together and develop into a poignant steam that screams through the kettle of this play.
This show demands production.

To me, the most impactful aspect of this piece was watching these four characters try to hold onto fragments of normalcy in their lives, in the aftermath of their worlds being turned upside-down. Very timely, very resonant.

The small town relationships resonate in a big city way, as the characters tackle a contemporary issue that continues to devastate and test all communities. The play can't help but be relatable even beyond the subject matter, as these everyday characters are people we ourselves see when we walk outside our own doors.

An important story, beautifully told. The use of humor as counterpoint to the intensity of subject matter is masterful.
For producers: Has excellent roles for 2 teenagers & 2 adults, is easy to mount with a topical subject addressed with depth, nuance, and insight.
Highly Recommended

Excellent exploration of the tragedy and impact of school shootings. A very timely piece and at the same time one that explores universal themes of connection and cause and effect.