←Recommendations of WINNERS

A bold and emotionally charged drama, Winners blends sharp humor with raw family tension to explore grief, identity, and the need for connection. Emma Goldman-Sherman crafts vivid, complex characters whose clashes feel both authentic and theatrical. The dialogue crackles with wit and urgency, while the play’s inventive structure keeps it dynamic and engaging. A compelling, fearless work that resonates.

Emma Goldman-Sherman presents us with a family so dysfunctional you might feel guilty for laughing, but sometimes you can’t help yourself. And that seems to be the case with these characters. They can’t help being who they are because they don’t understand themselves or each other. But as we move forward in time, at least one of them has come to recognize themselves and find acceptance. This play presents a tremendous opportunity for neurodivergent people to perform or see their stories told and for others to become more aware. Game, set, and match.

This urgent drama of unique family dysfunction, individual and societal rituals, the vagaries of grief, and the hard road to self-acceptance is populated with four distinctive and compelling family members. Fran's ultimate acceptance of her authentic self offers a path to liberation and relief to the other family members. I can only imagine how vivid it would be to see this play with the stim behaviors fully realized. However, just reading it is a powerful experience.

This is such a cathartic play, absolutely loaded with unique, specific characters whose distinct characteristics make them painfully relatable. It's a tight, brilliant look at how ignorance leads to othering, even - and especially - among those who are most like you. Though the piece is ostensibly about grief, it's also sharp and funny, maintaining a subtlety that makes the characters feel real and nuanced. Neurodivergent audience members will see themselves in this fractured family, and allistics (or those in denial, like Cali) will come to understand an alternate way of seeing and being in the world.

This play features great roles for Jewish and neurodivergent actors. A wonderful play about dealing with grief and learning to forgive. This family is so messy but you can't help but be enthralled with their lives.

Winners is a family drama that is relatable, authentic, and surprisingly funny. There are points when I laughed aloud and points that tore me up. It's fast-moving but avoids oversimplification and stereotyping 'aspects' of the characters' behaviors.
I don't want to reveal too much, but the playwright touches on the purpose of funeral rituals and the people for whom those rituals have meaning. In this play, the rituals are meaningful to both the living and, surprisingly, the dead who remain present in our lives.
I enjoyed reading Winners and look forward to seeing it on stage.