As an angry brown hottie myself, I've had so, so many conversations like the ones in this play, although certainly not as forthright. I deeply appreciate that this play puts them front-and-center, and that Ruiz makes the characters so whole and real. What is love without the understanding that your existence is still endangered, regardless of who's in office? I'm looking forward to how this play develops for sure!

The conversations in this piece are so well-chosen and pressing today. An amazingly on point cross-section of a liberal friend group whose members' intersectional identity crossroads so deeply complicate and inform their relationship dynamics. I loved how there was room for calling in, anxiety, worry, generosity, and hope in a way that respected each character's humanity without letting them off the hook. The punctuating, lyrical moments struck me, as did the "sub-affinity spaces" we were able to peer into throughout. I'd be so compelled to read a full length exploration of these people and these conversations!

This is the kind of play that slips under your skin and lingers for days after you've read it. This play is deeply relatable to me and feels like a conversation we need to have but aren't allowed to. I want to see this play get produced ASAP so we can begin to talk about how to create better communities for "angry brown hotties."