←Recommendations of She's Blown Away

Gatton captures the awkwardness of life as a teenager with perfect accuracy, capturing not only the language of teenagers but also the way teenagers cross boundaries they don't realize exist. I read this play months ago and the devastating reveal has stayed with me. It's an achingly beautiful play that all high schools should consider.

This excellent script features high school characters, but their conversation is one that every adult should also hear. Vince Gatton packs a lot of important subject matter (and some humor, too, which is also important!) into a short amount of space! Recently published in THE BEST TEN-MINUTE PLAYS 2023!

Vince Gatton always takes you on an unexpected emotional journey! This short about figuring out how to get that girl who doesn’t know you exist to notice and to love you is a wonderful study on boundaries, infatuation, and male entitlement. And also how often guys hear women but don’t listen to them (poor Mika basically repeats herself for ten minutes) - But with jokes and teenagers to keep it from being overly heavy, and to make the heavy moments hit harder. Such a great play!

Interesting take on dating and crossing people's boundaries. Gatton captures teenage emotions and attempts to understand difficult situations. At the same time, he makes some good points for all of us to remember.

I always know with a play by Vince Gatton that I'll meet great characters and discover so much emotional truth, surprising me in the best ways. In SHE'S BLOWN AWAY, I was immediately engaged by the realistic dialogue and distinctive personalities of these teen characters. And in just 10 minutes there were layers of additional meaning about gender and boundaries that completely immersed me in this world. This is a work with powerful subtle moments that performers and directors will love to interpret and explore.

I love plays that seem to be going one direction but deftly take an unexpected turn and end up somewhere unexpected and unsettling. It can be a risky strategy and, in the wrong hands, comes off as contrived. Done well, though, the shift increases the emotional wallop. Gatton’s play is a great example of this approach being done well. It seems like a straightforward play about teenage crushes but becomes something very different and dark. She’s Blown Away is ultimately about male entitlement, and it approaches this theme with a impressive subtlety and nuance.

So great, so relatable, and so true. Vince backs us into the privilege males think they have when it comes to demonstrating their feelings and it packs a wallop. Great job!

This play sneaks up on you.

It seems like it's about "how to ask a girl out" the stakes of with are super high anyway.

Then there's a reaction... a big one.
When we find out what's behind that reaction...
BOOM!

Gun culture, rape culture, Asian fetishization, the deadly consequences of male entitlement, all wrapped up in adolescent fear and familiar loss. The writing is beautifully observed, seemingly effortless yet endlessly complex.

Fantastic role for young actors and a powerful addition to any evening of short plays. This must be produced far and wide.

Gatton is easily becoming one of my favorite playwrights. Each play is so varied in its circumstances and relationships, a feat considering a writer creates from the same brain and inner world each time. What seems a typical 'life or death' dramatic dilemma between young teens, is through minimal moments & lines revealed to be an actual life or death circumstance for anyone who has found themselves the object of unwanted affection. Small is big here, and Gatton's reveals and nuance are the stuff of dreams.

Oh, my word. Playwright Vince Gatton takes us to very unexpected places in this play. Twist upon twist with a horrifying reveal. This is such masterful writing. I'll be thinking about this piece for a long time. She's Blown Away is a fantastic opportunity for young actors and deeply relevant. So much wisdom and life lessons packed into a ten minute play. I'm in awe.