←Recommendations of The Oktavist

It’s rare to read a 10-minute play as fully realized, specific in both setting and emotion, and as satisfying as THE OKTAVIST. Despite this play’s brevity, its content extends into the existential—what do we do with our greatest desires when our skills don’t match up? Is it better to be the source of talent, or the witness? How do we go on when we realize our shortcomings? Vince Gatton has also written two strong characters with a fully human dynamic. Stupendous work!

How did Gatton fit such complex and rich characters into so few words? I will study this play for a while to learn. As a reader/viewer your own brain becomes the stage for this story and we fill in all the spaces in dialogue to create an incredibly delicate yet powerful conversation. Such an accomplishment!

"Sometimes…God gives you the desire, but the wrong equipment." Gorgeous. Sad. Beautiful. Gatton gracefully brings us into this rich world with fully fleshed out characters that you instantly root for. A truly brilliant piece that I'd love to see staged.

Powerful and also subtle. Deeply moving and full of dangers and yet somehow also sweet and funny. In THE OKTAVIST, Gatton masterfully weaves many threads together to satisfying, compelling effect. Deserving of many productions. Bravo!

A beautiful play, perfectly scaled to capture both the moment it represents and the current moment we're living in. Moving and funny and, yes, sad. Hooray for Vince Gatton.

There's a wonderful innocence to Dimitri that is quite enjoyable. At the same time, given Russia's anti-LGBT-"propaganda" policy, the time distancing serves to remind us the stark cruelty of ignorance. Dimitri has not the ability to conceptualize his true feelings because his society hides that beauty from him. Hopefully we Americans, distanced further by the setting, be able to see the cruelty of our own budding laws. The devastation of religious homophobia. I've had many conversations a la the holiness of beauty, art, and queer love with religious folks. There's a deep, deep sadness to this show. Well done.

The dialogue in this piece is so smart, funny and touching. The desire to create something beautiful doesn’t always come with the ability. Dmitri’s monologue about the epiphany is passionate and tragic. Lots of levels and layers to these characters to explore!

My heart breaks for lovable dork, Dmitri who does not yet understand the harmony he longs for. This is a good period piece for two actors who can play off of each other well. Props to Gatton!

A marvelous character study! Vince Gatton demonstrates tremendous range employing slapstick, wit, and pathos. THE OKTAVIST hits all the right notes!

The Oktavist is winning all the awards and rightly so. A masterclass in subtext, humor, humanity, and deeply relatable characters and situations even though it takes place long ago and far away. Playwright Vince Gatton has crafted a gorgeous ten-minute play that should be read, savored, and produced everywhere.