I love the idea of bundling short plays (a la David Ives, All in the Timing) to give theatres the option of creating a customized theatrical event by mixing and matching short plays. In The Five Stages, Brenton Kniess serves up a diverse selection of shorts - distinct stories, distinct characters, and thought provoking to boot.

Imagine the absurd world of early Terrence McNally, addressed with the manic madness of David Ives. Brenton-Kneiss-Land is a Sad-Mad-Happy-Frightened-Brave world of dreamers and hopers, and is destined to attract theatermakers and theatergoers of a similar temperament. Is there such a thing as a melancholy romp? If there is, you'll find it here among The Five Stages. And stages are where these plays belong.

Brenton Kniess has a knack for the unexpected. None of the five plays contained in The Five Stages goes quite the way you expect them to, and in subverting our expectations, Kniess disarms us and allows us to feel the messages and ideas being conveyed. There is a great amount of power and poignancy to the writing in these plays -- Clockwork and Luck of the Draw are standouts from the collection, speculating and imagining horrific scenarios while also expressing a belief in the resilience of the human spirit and the power of love. Excellent, impactful work.