←Recommendations of Three Miles from Train Tracks, Nine From a Hydrant

Just stunning. From the language to the pace to the resolution, stunning. This is a haunting, visceral play that does an unimaginable amount of work in just 10 minutes.

Route 84 House Fire: Three Miles from Train Tracks, Nine from a Hydrant by Jessie Salsbury draws you in from the early moments. The writing gives actors a lot to work with, especially in how the language tightens and breaks down over time. There’s a real sense of build in the scene that performers could lean into and shape together. This feels like a piece that would be powerful to live inside onstage.

An eerie piece that builds in mystery and dread, Route 84 is a masterclass in distillation and economy of language. Salsbury wastes no time getting us into the story, and she trusts her audience to get on board or be left behind. Easy to produce and perfect for this time of year, this play would be a chilling addition to any horror play festival!

Salsbury's haunting tale calls its audience out on its complacency and gives its young heroine incredible agency. It is poetry meeting reality, waiting for a final compromise.

Salsbury's work in this play is so taut, so economizing. One thing I notice throughout her plays, is this incredibly well-developed sense of place. We are right there, though we might not want to be. This is the kind of play that cages the audience. Brings you in close, and holds you tight. Now that I'm done reading, I might start breathing again.

Disturbing and chilling. Imagine hearing the words that come out of this young woman's mouth and try to imagine what put them there. What do you do when you cannot fathom the place from where another speaks? Is it simple misunderstanding, or is it something more visceral? A provoking and horrific pas de deux for two actors.

Holy smokes (no pun intended). This may be the most magnificent dramatic ten minute play I've ever read. Absolutely chilling, incredibly economical, a masterpiece in saying a lot with a little. Every question I had was answered as I read, and my reviewers below are not kidding, the last line is nothing but sheer brilliance. This play needs to be performed a lot and would be a smash-hit at competitions. It's only a matter of time before this fantastic play is discovered and given the attention it deserves. Wow.

Beautiful visceral writing. Each line is urgent. A compelling and disturbing play.

As the smoke clears, and glowing embers begin to fade, there is devastating destruction left behind that must be reckoned with between a fire marshal and a young girl. But it’s quickly evident that the fire isn’t the only source of trauma in this tale. It’s achingly raw, conjuring that unsettling, familiar, stomach-sickening feeling of dread. We know what happened, yet the girl surprises us in so many other ways. Beautifully written. I’m still marveling at the title.

Mysterious, haunting, and intriguing. When I saw it at the Midwest Dramatists Conference, the audience was enraptured, holding their breath until the final shocking line of the play.