←Recommendations of The Active Oval

John Mabey's 'The Active Oval' features beautifully crafted dialogue and nuanced characters, skillfully balancing humor and depth to create a poignant and engaging narrative. In this short script, Mabey offers a brief yet powerful glimpse into their skillful writing. Bluebird Theatre Company had the pleasure of publishing Bluebird Broadcast's audio production of The Active Oval, with characters voiced by Carmo Bebiano and Vanessa Mazhangara.

www.bluebirdtheatre.org/bluebird-broadcast

Such a beautifully written piece. Both of these characters are adorable, despite the sad material. And I enjoyed every page of this wonderful script.

Once again, John Mabey shows their immense talent with THE ACTIVE OVAL. This two hander is a moving and heartfelt play of two strangers who become friends after opening up about some very difficult subject matter. I was lucky enough to see a reading of this with Dragon Productions.

Incredibly engaging play. Characters are well-drawn. It's main subject is loss, which it explores fully in a very short period of time. Moving, funny and relevant this makes a great read!

A lovely play about loss and the yearning and the fear of human connection. Heartfelt with a just the balance of humor.

A great two-hander that explores an admirable depth of information in only a few pages, where two strangers meet in a park and offer gestures of conciliation and friendship, never pushing too far but also never afraid to include moments of levity or awkwardness. It's lovely to see a piece where two people can lean on one another and offer friendship.

The Active Oval does a beautifully moving job of providing us all with the humor of grief. I love the idea of the active oval itself as a kind of infinity track similar to an infinity pool where you swim against a current forever. Sometimes we go round in circles until someone or something interrupts. Lex interrupts that infinite loop. It's motivated and works well to create a relatable piece that helps us all. And the visual domino moment is fabulous!

Such a wonderful and touching play exploring the reality of coping with loss from suicide. I love the added detail of the very familiar "Active Oval" in Atlanta's Piedmont Park creating a grounded sense of place for the story. The dialogue flows and feels natural but the characters don't shy away from saying painful things. It's beautiful and honest. Gorgeous work!

Sometimes when our life is standing still, an unexpected encounter can give us the promise of a run for our money. THE ACTIVE OVAL is a tightly-written play with well-crafted, engaging characters that speak to the universal experience of love, loss and moving on. A perfect play for any 10 minute play festival!

It is said that nothing is random and that every choice has a purpose and meaning. Mabey's play show's one of these moments with Lex and Sammy, both having gone out of their apartments at the same time, both choosing to come to the park at the same time, or nearly so. We are strangers to most people in this world. Isn't it nice to see two meet, talk and become friends at just the right moment when it's needed.