←Recommendations of Date Play

Siflinger turns the "date play" trope on its head by using it for social commentary. Funny and poignant, the script is a gift to actors, directors and audience. By setting up rules and breaking them, Siflinger creates a timely piece that is also timeless, mixing styles to combine a comedy of manners told through both realism and absurdism. With a sense of whimsy, showing her improv roots, Siflinger cleverly plays with time. We never get ahead of the story and the ending is deep and meaningful.

A stunning play. Siflinger has crafted something truly original, a play that starts out as a well-written, comedic first-date play, with crisp, witty dialogue that would be a treat for any actor to sink their teeth into...but then it moves far beyond what we expect. By the end, we have been taken on a world-bending journey, a true theatrical tour-de-force that stuns the imagination...while that dialogue stays witty and delicious throughout!

Got to see this at the Valdez Theatre Conference and enjoyed the hell out of it. I'm not even sure I know what it's about: the anonymity of the service industry, the awkwardness of first dates, and the morphing state of relationships over years are all running themes in a richly layered 3-hander. But the repartee is so crisp, the characters so relatable and the milieu (and menu!) so richly described that I was content to just let it flow over me like a pomegranate magic shell.

This script is alive. It's centered around a first date, but it takes unusual turns to really dig into what intimacy means over the course of time.

I was unable to tell where it was going from moment to moment. Its energy is honest and undeniable.

I adore this play. I had the opportunity of seeing it read at the 2026 Valdez Theatre Conference and was thoroughly impressed by its surreal, magical, and experimental nature. The comedy is top notch and the relationship between the characters felt nuanced and fascinating.

A really sweet and heartwarming play about dating. Went places I didn't expect.

This is a great, reality bending play about what it's like to date in the modern world. It's an athletic play full of twists and turns. Plenty of roles for young actors and great material to sink your teeth into!

I read Ashley's play as part of an open submission process and it was a breath of fresh air: a Subject Play that didn't feel like a TED Talk and was instead grounded in character dynamics. I thought the way Ashley portrays the awkwardness of a Tinder date was pitch-perfect, and the often unspoken insecurities that stem from dating post-MeToo were played out in very theatrical (and amusing) ways. Plus it's very funny! A joke about a Nostrand Negroni had me laughing out loud at my desk.