←Recommendations of The Penance - 10 Minute Play

I listened/watched this short play on Zoom with the SUGA program in Atlanta. What's fun about this piece is that it doesn't go where you think it will go and there are good twists.

This play is so filled with suspense! Anne, who struggles with alcohol, wants to confess something serious to the priest. But things take a scary turn when the priest reveals he's not who he seems. A stranger arrives, adding more mystery. In just a few minutes, the play takes you on a suspenseful journey of secrets and danger. It's a gripping story about honesty and forgiveness, perfect for a quick but thrilling performance.

The suspense Ryan Kaminski creates in THE PENANCE is extremely well done. I think what drew me in is the sympathetic protagonist Anne, her addiction, and the mystery she brings to the confessional. It's cool how one twist - just as I was grappling with how it would play out - is superseded by the next twist that I didn't see coming at all. A classic noir tale for the stage that will keep the audience on the edge of their seats.

Saying I was on the edge of my seat doesn't do this short play justice! Each page brought a new twist that I couldn't have predicted if I tried; I audibly gasped several times. So much mystery packed into just twelve pages - I would love to see this as a full length play!

"The Penance" by Ryan Kaminski is a riveting and intense short play that touches upon guilt, the pursuit of redemption, and the consequences of past misdeeds. The initial setup suggests a typical confessional scenario, but the plot takes a sharp turn, leading to a gripping and unexpected climax. The playwright's ability to subvert expectations and keep the audience on the edge of their seats is commendable.

A confessional, a priest, a sinner… and so much more! A tense (and surprising) couple of final pages!

This is a masterful exercise in misdirection leading to a shocking twist ending. My heart was in my throat throughout Anne's troubled and troubling confession. The danger she is in is real and saying anymore would ruin the surprise that you should definitely experience for yourself.

Kaminski is an enjoyable crime writer. Excessive bloodshed isn't necessary to make his plots intriguing. His endings are complete turnarounds that will give an audience a jolt.

A tearful confession, a patient priest, and a TWIST! This is a great short that has you on the edge of your seat. Guessing and wondering what the conclusion could be, and delivering a wonderfully wicked ending.

This is only the second piece from Ryan Kaminski I've read, but I can already tell Kaminski is a writer who is a master of giving a setup for a twist, but can execute it in such a way nobody in the audience sees coming--and still, it's the very best ending for the specific story being told. I love the bookends with the soft joke about the first and second confessor of the day, too! A wonderful thriller for the lapsed Catholic in all of us.