←Recommendations of The Dummy Class

Produce this play now! A heartfelt show that both kids and adults will love. Plus it’s entertaining. Plus it teaches wonderful lessons about kindness, difference, and appreciation. Take all my money. I want to see it onstage today. Highly Recommend!

While this play acknowledges the coldness and the challenges of being different in an elementary school setting, it somehow also finds hope. So much is done right, the frustration of being ahead yet behind, the way the smallest attempts to push back are penalized, and the utter unwillingness of authority to ease the difficulty. Osmundsen excellently depicts the contradiction of being neurodivergent in a neurotypical world, the way society both demands conformity while necessitating competition. Where this play is uplifting is in the moments of camaraderie and togetherness, a message that is timely and very much needed.

In grade school, being different is its own kind of hell. Being different with artistic aspirations makes you a freak. Being different and artistic while being labeled as limited or "special" is a feeding frenzy.

Osmundsen gives us a gentle tale without ever allowing us to forget the brutality of elementary school social Darwinism. His four principle characters represent different special needs, yet they are always individuals first -- and what individuals they are! Their bravery in confronting the everyday and the extraordinary is inspiring without being manipulative or twee. Lovely, honest storytelling with great roles for young actors.

The Dummy Class by Dave Osmundsen was part of the 2020 NNPN MFA Playwrights’ Workshop, a partnership between the Kennedy Center Education Department (the American College Theatre Festival) and Stanford University’s National Center for New Plays

I love how this piece centers a diverse and dynamic ensemble. These kids are distinct and well-rendered and Dave's piece shows both the power and danger of the ways they are grouped together. We see how they are judged and lumped together and stigmatized and generalized, but also the ways they are a supportive collective for one another. I loved the theatricality of the piece--older actors playing younger, the talent show "practice" sequence, and just generally the use of dance, movement, and ensemble work. A brilliant choice for audiences of all ages--schools, take notice!

Osmundsen gives us a sweet, sad cast of what could be misconstrued as misfits but are really just kids struggling with being kids, spectrum or not. He paints an empathetic picture that is joyful, triumphant, furious, and heartbreaking. An emotional journey I’m happy to have taken.

I love the perspective this play offers and how it raises up young characters who are on the spectrum. I think this play is important and I hope it gets traction. Especially love Ted and Mr. Bright!

Dave Osmundsen has categorized "The Dummy Class" as a "work-in-progress," and indeed it does have a few rough edges to be smoothed out with further exploration. But what is already in place, ie: deeply realized and deeply lovable characters and a sense of righteous vexation simmering just under the surface, keep it heartfelt but not cloying. I'm looking forward to seeing how Osmundsen develops and polishes this script as he delves deeper into it.