←Recommendations of Guardian

I found John Bussers play Guardian touching- and fascinating. The characters are well developed and totally engaging. A man and his loving, protective, dog meet a stranger and things quickly escalate into a tense and terrifying confrontation. I believe the subject of terror during a pandemic will resonate with everyone these days.-- A must read!

I love plays that have an unexpected twist and this script has that in spades. It immediately grips you with a confrontation that feels like it's not going to go well. After all, agitated dog, man with shotgun, desperate stranger. It's all set up for increasing tension as the two people and the dog interact with the other. Even when it seems the conflict has been resolved, the tension remains . . . sort of like a horror plot where someone thinks it's over, but it's not. Boy, is it not! Busser has done excellent work in creating this world.

A brilliant and deeply moving exploration of what we would and wouldn't do to protect ourselves and others, and what genuine loving kindness does and doesn't look like. Two strangers in dire life-and-death circumstances face off, the desperate need of one hitting the implacable wall of the other; mediating it all is the the dog Roxie, a terrific character and terrifically effective device that not only charms but packs a wallop when the story gets where it's going. You're a good girl, Roxie. Such a good, good girl.

This broke my heart. Roxie is such a good girl. Everything she does is out of love. We all should have a Roxie in our lives to protect us. And this play proves that maybe we do? Even when it seems we are being abandoned, we may be protected by tough love.

GUARDIAN is a heartbreaking story of protection written in shades of gray. Every character is empathetic in this short play about survival and the sacrifices a person needs to take to protect themselves and others. John Busser’s tense dialogue is paced in a dramatic style that can only be executed by a writer who deeply understands the music of comedy-the power of the beat. There is a tragic beauty in this piece. GUARDIAN will stay with you.

Damn...

Busser takes a tried and true apocalypse trope ("can we trust the stranger?"), adds a beloved comedy device (talking dog), and twists it into a Gordion Knot of tension, suspense, and sorrow. There's an elegant metaphor in here about protecting ourselves and one another, that broke my heart then sank it. We feel for all of these characters, hoping for mercy while understanding its limits. Extraordinarily atmospheric, even on a bare stage I imagine, with well drawn characters and impossible decisions, GUARDIAN achieves in ten minutes what similarly themed novels, films, and series dream of evoking.

No matter what, trust the dog. It’s probably for the best.

Busser’s short play is a haunting, tragic piece filled with opportunities for some delicious physical work. It’s rare that we see a dog in a play that isn’t devoted to comedy, and it’s a real treat to see the depth Busser skillfully pulls out of the scenario. The ending, in particular, will stick with me for quite a while. Check this piece out.

Busser builds an apocalyptic world in just a few moments in "Guardian," but is also able to provide the most intimate view of the horrors, pain, and anxiety during that same span of time.

"Guardian" is tense, upsetting, and unforgettable.

Everyone's fears are wrapped up in this short play. How can we stay human and still help other people? There's a twist at the end I didn't see coming. Very deep idea playing to our worst fears.

A terrifying tale borne out of the pandemic. Excellent subversion of expectations. Could be easily staged and it's a small cast with some great character work to dig into.