←Recommendations of Tall Tales

Southern Gothic is such a forgotten about genre/aesthetic in modern playwriting, and this play is an absolute masterclass in it! It really spoke to me as a queer person from the South.

As a queer person from the South, I feel so seen by Tall Tales. There's something so heartbreaking about being alienated and hated for a fundamental part of yourself by an institution that touts community above all. I adore the horror/supernatural aspects of this play, as they seem to synthesize with the true feelings of being hunted/ousted by your community. I love the examination of returning home to a place that seems familiar yet haunted - having no sense of home is such a discombobulating sensation.

Great storytelling with a lot of heart and clear characters. A fun supernatural/ spiritual element that kept me guessing. A fun read. Maybe not as fun if you're from a tiny Christian town where everyone judges you -raises hand- but still very fun and very well written.

This play is such a vivid, imaginative take on issues of theology, self-hate, and the strangehold of regressive ideologies. The Southern queer in me feels so seen and so thrilled by this play and the way it injects new energy and spirit into the setting that usually gets flattened out by people who haven't lived in the sticks.

Noah, college graduate and big city convert, returns to his Alabama hometown to live with his parents, a last resort from being unable to financially support himself after a breakup. If that doesn't scare you, escalating terrors follow. His old friends have lives of their own, some he can't help but question, shaking up their status quo, but scandal, death, and the black arts are at the heels of Noah's arrival. Turmoils of queer lives raised in the Bible belt, learned shame, and the shattered sense of home are key themes Timms perchance has written as horror - and fable.

Part bar play, part memory play, 'Tall Tales' by River Timms explores the religious undertones of the unexplainable horrors and happenings of a small Southern town. Talks of revivals and conservative political campaigns haunt this text as much as the ghosts do, sending its characters into a moral tailspin of faith vs. future. What happened then? Where are we now? Where do we go from here? ...and what is that terrible THING everyone keeps seeing? 'Tall Tales' spins one hell of a Queer ghost story.

This play is such an interesting commentary on faith and what it means to be gay. The supernatural elements keep it original and entertaining. There's definitely some slasher-movie moments, and it's done really well for stage! The characters are interesting and well-realized. I'd definitely be interested to see it live!

Every inch of this play is laced with the kind of craft that feels effortless - how familiar the characters feel from the point they enter, how naturally the horror elements grow from the emotional threads, how rhythmically each new beat fits together. With Tall Tales, Timms has built a play rooted in all humans' greatest weakness - the fear that we will be unloved for who we are - and manifests it as a terror that I desperately want to see directors, designers, actors and audiences confront for themselves. Read and produce this play.

I am astonished how some writers have a unique ability to create instantly engaging characters. From page one I felt completely comfortable with the characters in this piece, and Timms pulls that off effortlessly with completely direct, simple dialogue. If I am in from the beginning, I'm in for the whole ride. And yet, just when you get comfortable with the characters, the play takes you to some very unexpected places. No spoilers, but I am impressed at how easily the writer integrates the more unusual elements into the realistic world of the play. Bold and expertly accomplished.

A literal and figurative ghost story, "Tall Tales" is a haunting and human play that explores our relationships to the places we grew up in and how they impact our past, present, and future. With a compelling cast of characters and some scenes that are downright horrifying, this play is a great example of theatrical Southern Gothic, with its themes of religion, guilt, bigotry, sexuality, and love (and queer characters to boot!). Check this piece out!