The community of National Committee readers for the 46th Bay Area Playwrights Festival advanced MORE OF A HEART as a Semi-Finalist at Playwrights Foundation. We found compelling the nuanced points of view and strong characters and well-structured scenes. The play dramatizes well how families behave with each other: both brutal and tender. We hope this play is considered for further development and investigation, and finds dedicated collaborators in this play’s journey towards production. #BAPF46

Dave Osmundsen’s plays consistently affect me in three ways: they make me cry, make me laugh, and challenge me. MORE OF A HEART is powerful play about how society suppresses and fetishizes neurodivergence, and how important it is for autistic people to control their own lives and their own narratives. It’s also just a fantastic family play, touching and infuriating and full of messy imperfect love. MORE OF A HEART is a story that I will continue to carry with me as a parent, reminding me that best way to love my kids is to listen.

This play was such an incredible gift to read and work on as part of the Great Plains Theatre Conference. I learned so much as an intimacy designer and found new ways to support this incredible work. The care necessary to craft full and rich characters all throughout the autism constellation and their caregivers is evident within this play. Neurotypical and neurodiverse folks alike will find profound meaning and connection throughout this piece.