←Recommendations of Vandals and Thieves WILL be Shot

Douglas Gearhart's spare and lyrical writing is on full display in this poignant short play about grief, loss, and the ache of being left behind. What is very hard to put into words is done to great effect by letting the silence and the intense suppressed feelings speak what Big Jim, Rose, and Dean cannot express in words. It is not often that I am moved to an emotional reaction by such moments, but this is one story that did that for me, and I know it will do the same for an audience.

A hauntingly austere meditation on grief - and the ways it intersects with anger and self-loathing in ways we usually don't want to talk about - that's all the more musical for embracing silence. Its taciturn threesome say more with their mundane tasks and halting observances than most of us playwrights can usually manage with whole monologues. Lovely.

A play for Veterans' Day to remind us of all the sadness and regret families can have over the loss of a son or brother. Also the healing that can come from a chance encounter with a stranger.

It's sad, lonely and still comforting how much easier it can be to bond over grief with a stranger. There's safety in knowing you won't have to carry the shame of sharing for long. This play captures that comfort and sadness but in a way that lets us know it's ok to also sit with those feelings and that those brief interactions still have meaning. Very well written.

Such a beautiful play about terribly hard losses and how hard they are to overcome for the living. A quiet moment of extremely loud grief shared with a stranger.