←Recommendations of On Any Given Day in America...

The structure, setting, and social justice issues addressed, make us feel like we are part of the play. We are these people on any given day in America! Spiess builds to a powerful ending that leaves us speechless and wondering about the characters for days.

The conception of this stunning play is both simple and brilliant: A series of scenes taking place in different spots in a mall just before a mass-shooter event occurs. The characters represent the rich panoply of experiences and identities that make up the country, but all are specific and consistently engaging. Each scene digs into a different social ill with a deep respect for those affected. The ending ties everything together in a breathtaking way that urges action without offering easy solutions. Spiess manages to capture America in all its ugliness and promise in a tightly constructed piece. Wonderful work.

In a Florida shopping mall - and what's more quintessentially American than that? - we track a cross section of our fellow citizens on what seems to be an ordinary day, until we realize that we're tracking the progress of a mass-shooter, getting ever closer to his horrific act. Spiess has pulled off the impressive feat of a play that lives up to the ambitions of its title, its howl of rage grounded in profound empathy for all its characters and a wonderful, crackerjack sense of construction.

A look inside America right now and the political climate we are in. Will any of these issues ever be fixed? Hopefully plays like this can help give a voice to the things that need change.