←Recommendations of 38 Cookies, 39 Reasons [a monologue]

Empathy and craft meet in this wonderful. truthful play. It speaks to something larger than eating disorders. It has something to say about the American soul.

An amazingly on-target way of showing how double-edged our relationship with ourselves can sometimes be. People can both treat ands punish themselves at the same time, and Steve Martin creates a mesmerizing way to bring this idea to life. I defy anyone to not be hooked on the first bite.

What an incredible piece of theater. I was honored to see this in person, and seeing it live was incredibly moving. The slow pace of the monologue gives it incredible power, and the audience was mesmerized. Stunning.

As someone who struggles with an eating disorder, I found myself quite moved by this extended monologue. The reasons are valid and too close to home. This is a wonderful script and an excellent vehicle for an actor.

Oh my gosh. This short play is, in one way, so simple, but in another way so complex. As we watch Terry slowly, methodically eat an entire package of cookies, they give a reason why they're eating all these cookies before they eat each one, and the wide variety of reasons given touch on so many reasons for eating disorders. It's rare to see a play that is so effortlessly powerful.

I can't quite describe what exactly it is, but this piece hooks me right away. It's clearly structure yet unforeseeable and the (dark) comedy makes me laugh but the laughing is stuck in my throat within the next second. The reasons for eating the cookies are not only drawn from diversity, but also give an insight into how complex eating disorders are and hits the nail of representing more taboo topics right on the head!

Martin goes straight to the heart of the matter in exploring what drives eating disorders in this monologue suitable for any gender. Even though it uses an economy of language, the piece is surprisingly complex, with peaks of humor and depths of sadness. It's a convincing walk through both the myriad of reasons that drive this behavior and the coping mechanisms one develops to control it. Superb choice for a competition. Well done.

This piece is gorgeous in its simplicity- and disordered eating itself is so incredibly complicated. 38 Cookies beautifully illustrates what it is like to live in this world: using oneself as a target- a scoreboard that no one knows about but you- with food as a weapon . Terry's existence is lonely and hellish and I personally can attest that Martin's piece hits the bullseye with the personal hell this can be. I am so gratified this realm is presented so honestly and without flair or theatricality.
A stunning piece for an actor.

"38 Cookies, 38 Reasons" really made me feel something. This really goes to the heart of emotional eating. There is hardly anything out there that treats this delicate subject with as much respect, dignity, and honesty. So good. So timely. Thank you, Steven, for writing this. Representation matters.

I have read books on overeating, heard lectures on why it's important to eat healthy, and been told by my doctor it wouldn't hurt to lose a few pounds (or more). Our society often shames overweight people. STEVEN G. MARTIN uses his wit to write a play for all of us that have fought to stay slim and trim. I think even the slim-folks will find this play to be wonderful.