It is the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center's pleasure to recommend Ed Cardona Jr and their play Lychee Martini as a finalist for our 2020 National Playwrights Conference. This particular work emerged from a highly competitive, anonymous, and multi-tiered selection process to become one of 63 finalists out of more than 1,500 submissions. This enthralling piece galvanized the hearts and theatrical imaginations of our reading teams and is fully championed by our offices. We are honored to put our enthusiastic support behind this writer and their ongoing contributions to the American Theater.

A beautifully rendered, wrenching story that explores PTSD in a highly theatrical and nuanced fashion. I appreciated the examination of a female medical professional--it's a narrative about combat-related PTSD that is not given a voice. Cardona's use of projections, pliable space-time, sound, and lights is fantastic and gives a production team a whole lot of aesthetic richness to work with. Watching the progression of Maria and Rio's relationship in real time and flashback feels both human and heartbreaking. This is a tragedy with a message beyond the devastation described within that treats its characters like complex people.