←Recommendations of Neighborly Chat (Ten Minute)

Reading this in 2024 brings back all the memories of our fear and concern and how we took such steps to avoid each other and the virus. For some luck ones of us, we had family to live with and that kept the loneliness wolf away. But, I can imagine other people, especially those with neuro-divergence and issues, who must have had the most excruciatingly difficult time surviving day to day. Paul Donnelly has provided a snapshot of this experience that rings true, Well done!

I had the pleasure of hearing this play out loud. It's gripping, moving, and heart wrenching, all at the same time. It does a great job of exemplifying the fears and loneliness of the pandemic.

I love this sweet, sad, uplifting play. It captures the feelings of isolation and awkward neighbor conversations during the height of the pandemic, but also touches on the struggles neuro-divergent people have with connecting. The plea for connection, the fear of that actually happening, and the anxiety we all had is mixed into very heartwarming and authentic conversation. Really loved this!

NEIGHBORLY CHAT gives us a window into the heartbreak and struggle that was the peak of COVID pandemic and counters it with the beauty of human understanding as the characters seek peace and connection inside uncertainty. Where might we be if we only took the time to see from another's perspective? A lovely, authentic play of moving from strangers to neighbors.

This little gem of a play is a model of concision and craftsmanship, and for those reasons alone could be studied in playwriting classes for the benefit of students. But what raises it to another level entirely is its masterful use of subtext: while it can easily be seen as a "pandemic" play, it's really about things far more profound. And sad.

This is a true, honest, raw account of a first time meet of strangers, now neighbours, in the midst of a pandemic. Both characters are true and believable, audiences will feel for them both. If Covid taught us anything, it taught us to talk to folks we usually recognise but pass in the street without saying a word. This is captured sensitively in Pauls short play.

Paul Donnelly's NEIGHBORLY CHAT is authentic, emotionally compelling, and heartwarming. Some pandemic plays are overbearing and saccharine, but Donnely balances out the action and the dramatic elements masterfully. Rich dialogue supported by well-drawn characters that keep you engaged the entire time. A truly wonderful piece of theatre!

This compelling time capsule of a moment perfectly captures the isolation of lockdown at the height of the pandemic. But, it remains so relevant still, as a beautiful portrayal of the necessity for friendship in our increasingly isolated and fraught times. Paul Donnelly has written a play that is deeply humane and broadly universal in its sentiments. Bravo.

What a beautiful story! Donnelly sets this tale in the early days of the pandemic when all the potential fears, loneliness, and and frustrations of life were so heightened. In this setting the way two strangers touch each others' lives is all the more poignant. What makes these characters vulnerable is what also makes them connect, in spite of the huge barriers Covid presented The ending makes us wonder if that connection will continue, and hope it does.

The pandemic brought to life all sorts of interesting ways of interacting and ways of getting to know new people and I think Paul has brought this particular interaction to life in a brilliant way. Not only do you want to know more about the characters you can see but you want to get to know the characters you can't see (Alison's husband and child, Curt's parents or even the people they talk to in their Zoom meetings/calls). Paul has brought to life characters you want to bond with in a scenario that audiences will relate to certainly.