←Recommendations of Gun Free

An absolutely stunningly original piece about a subject that we only think has been thoroughly examined. Jessie Salsbury's novel take on the prevalence of gun violence in our schools finds a new way to open up our hearts to a conversation that we desperately need. It's an important play, a vital play–how often can we say that about a ten minute piece? It was the subject of plenty of hallway discussions at the MDC, and will do the same for your audience.

10/1/24: A haunting, theatrical examination of the collective tragedy of our time: the seemingly unending rise of school gun violence. Jessie Salsbury's tense two-hander captivated the audience of the Midwest Dramatists Conference and is sure to leave audiences across the country momentarily speechless... before they erupt into conversation about this thought provoking short. Beautiful, chilling work.

I saw a reading of this play at the Midwest Dramatists Conference and it has stuck with me. The idea of being "called" to gun violence is captivating and terrifying, and Jessie Salsbury has executed it beautifully.

I saw a staged reading of this play at the 2024 Midwest Dramatists Conference. The premise is unique - a mother repeatedly subjects herself to situations involving gun violence because that’s when she feels closest to her deceased daughter. The play’s terrifying and repetitive dialogue serves as a parallel for actual gun violence in the U.S. School shootings keep happening and nothing changes. Salsbury’s work will haunt you for a long time. Remarkable.

Disturbing and gut-wrenching, this play will churn up deeply felt emotions and haunt you for days after reading it. Beautifully handled all the way through, Salisbury has written another unfortunately necessary piece of theater for out times.

Wow. Salsbury has written a really powerful piece here. Gorgeously poetic language that just wrings grief, sorrow, and devastation. There are glimmers of happier moments, yes, but that only makes the situation even more heartbreaking. The final moments--when it all came together for me--are simultaneously comforting and shattering. Read this play.

This is an absolutely truly deeply remarkable play. Wow. I am absolutely blown away by this piece. This is so gorgeously felt, so fantastically rendered, and it hurts, it hurts SO MUCH to read and to think about that I can hardly stand it, but I am so grateful for Salsbury and her immense courage to grab that pain and pull it into the front of my heart. The best theatre incites action and all I can think at the end of this play is that this must stop, it must stop now, no more inevitability. Thank you, Salsbury.

We owe so much to the parents of slaughtered children. We owe more to the children, that's the whole point that the mother in Salsbury's play is really making. She, the character, the woman, the mother of a child murdered in a school shooting, has sacrificed and she should be heard. It is ridiculous and gross and tragic and absurd that this character has found a way to connect and connect and connect with school after school after school. The dialogue here with a mother and, wouldn't you know it, a police officer is devastating.

Salsbury’s intense play about the devastating ripple effects of gun violence inside schools will sit uneasily on your chest long after you read it. A heavy, lingering weight. The mother painted in this piece feels like a grown version of the young girl in her “Route 84 House Fire:” broken, hollow, numb. Which you should also read. Now. This author has a genuine gift for ratcheting tension and suspense, and I can’t wait to survey more of her work.