←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.

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.

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!

Wow, what a beautiful and terrifying play. Astounded at how River is able to tell a truly scary story that contains such a deep undercurrent of humanity. Contains one of the most beautiful scenes between two people that I've read in a long time. Highly recommend this play.

Using tropes of supernatural horror, Timms explores themes of religion/faith, small town homophobia and prejudice, a search for home and identity, and living as your authentic self. This delightfully theatrical play is populated by intriguing characters and one heck of a monster that would be a movement director's dream to create. I'd love to see this on its feet!

Horror is so hard to pull off, but TALL TALES is legitimately scary - The Elder offering many opportunities for a movement based monster that reaches out to the make the audience's lizard brain scream, "THERE'S SOMETHING WRONG HERE." The mood of the piece grabs you by the throat. The characters are interesting and varied, the setting oppressive. Really worth your time. Give it a read.