←Recommendations of The Gift of BS

It's been a good long while since I've felt a play quite as viscerally as THE GIFT OF BS - and I daresay you'll feel much the same regardless of wherever you happen to fall on any given spectrum. Osmundsen casts a penetrating eye on issues others wouldn't dare even notice - not only the disorientation of a mid-life diagnosis, and the difficulties of interacting with the neurotypical world, but the toxic competition that can occur between neurodiverse individuals with varying levels of "functionality" - and crafts a story that's equal parts searing and hopeful. Magnificent.

Premiere Stages, the professional Equity theatre in residence at Kean University, is pleased to recognize The Gift of BS by Dave Osmundsen as a Finalist for the 2022 Premiere Play Festival. The Gift of BS rose through a competitive selection process conducted by Premiere staff and a panel of outside theatre professionals to become one of 4 out of 655 submissions. The panel was particularly impressed by the sensitivity and humor that Dave brings to subjects of neurodivergency, family, and evolving relationships. Our congratulations and thanks to Dave.

I saw Dave's play at kean university last night and haven't stopped thinking about it. This play taught me more about myself than any other work I've experienced about autism. So many aha moments for me personally, in a play that was at times hilarious, at times deeply sad, and always deeply felt.

We read this play as part of our regular weekly reading group WineBox Players. Neurodivergency (in the arts and in general) is something that needs to be discussed and it is done so beautifully here by someone who knows the subject matter intimately. This play is an important example of a playwright telling their own stories - and we need more of this in the theater. No BS about it.

This play is a multi-dimensional window into what it's like to be a neurodivergent individual in the arts, but Osmundsen's inquiry into the human spirit in this piece doesn't stop there. Featuring characters of all abilities that lead incredibly complicated lives, "The Gift of BS" is a story of grief, resilience, and self-discovery, and the kind of story that is important to elevate in American theatre.

Osmundsen elegantly weaves a rich dual narrative exploring neurodiversity from two parallel but experiences that dovetail and burst apart in artful ways that highlight not only the individual character arcs but amplify all of the everyday life challenges that complicate their self discovery and acceptance along the way. While both journey's are rife with sharp commentary on being a neurodivergent creative, I was moved by William in particular who perfectly captured the relief, anger, and frustration that comes with the sudden contextualization of one's behavior. A phenomenal story that explores neurodiversity with heart, care, and dignity. No BS.

The Gift of BS involves four characters all struggling in different ways. The gift Osmundsen provides in this multifaceted look at neurodivergence is how hard it can be to look clearly at yourself, take responsibility for your life, own your past and try to find a way to move forward. There is a kind of honesty here that is rare and valuable.

A drama replete with fully dimensional characters, life-changing circumstances and events, longing and questioning, and an uncertainty of what life might hold as it changes.

Dave Osmundsen doesn't expect his characters to be heroic, nor does he treat them as villains. In "The Gift of BS," Osmundsen has a clear eyed view of his characters' flaws and strengths. He sees how mentor/mentee relationships can change, how sudden loss and long-lasting ruts can equally throw a person off their confidence. And that, like it or not, there's more life to live regardless of how selfless or self-centered we are.

This is a play about generational divides, what we do with inherited stigma, and the immense difficulty of self-knowledge at every age of life. Osmundsen mines these themes with tremendous, clear-eyed empathy and a vivid sense of the interpersonal dynamics between wonderfully-drawn characters. I came away moved and enlightened. Beautiful, beautiful play!

"When you've met one person with autism... you've met one person with autism." It's why they call it a spectrum, folks! Here, Osmundsen skillfully presents two people with autism and they couldn't be more different.

Frankin has known he has autism all his life while his former teacher/mentor William has just been diagnosed at 46. Osmundsen captures these two perspectives with tremendous accuracy and empathy, even when the characters don't have much empathy for each other. As such, the four characters frequently call each other on their BS making for an engaging, complex dance of honesty and evasion. Bravo!