←Recommendations of Slaymaker

Every page of this play made me feel seen as a woman who lost my community to hobbies with toxic cultures. Still, I felt every line of this evocative play in my body. Bethany's characters and theatrical world are vivid and specific yet uncannily familiar. The pacing is fantastic, and the climax made my BLOOD BOIL! Full of astute observations about power and geek mentality, the piece makes you question who is entitled to safety in "safe spaces." For me, the conclusion felt genuinely healing.

Growing up in a small town trying to navigate geek culture as a woman, I feel so incredibly connected to Bethany Dickens Assaf's play! SLAYMAKER does not condemn geek culture as misogynistic but rather exposes how misogyny and abuse are excused within geek culture as "just part of the game." While geek culture has become more mainstream, the subset of geek culture that Bethany highlights (those in small economically depressed towns who use geek culture as an escape) is still underrepresented.

I got to see a reading of this at the recent Hippodrome Theatre New Works Festival. The play presents a complicated and nuanced take on young adult relationships and abuse, on a micro and macro scale. It has great roles for early 20 something performers and universities and young theatre companies should consider it for production.

There's a loud minority of "gamers" who view their hobbies as a shelter. In Jay's case (an example of too many out there), MTG isn't so much a fun card game, but a haven where he can find the power and status he's sorely lacking in his daily life. No wonder the toxic masculinity and rage comes out when women "intrude". It's a despicable existence, and Dickens Assaf's natural dialogue pulls no punches. The character study at work here offers no sympathy for these struggling people. It’s up to us to judge them. Brilliant, dynamic piece.