←Recommendations of 37 Origami Bees (short)

This play packs so much life into its ten minutes of stage time. The relationships are dynamic and full of emotion, and the dialogue flows in a realistic but highly entertaining way. Added to which, there's a frankly startling amount of stage business that makes this short play that much more impressive.

It takes a lot of skill to craft a theatrical world this rich in just ten pages (with three clear acts, to boot!). In this play, a couple implements a questionable solution to a relatable relationship problem and learns the hard way that healthy anger expressed openly is always better than bottling up feelings in a relationship. It feels incredibly vital and natural, and by the end, it's so clear that these two belong together. Subtle, specific, and with plenty for actors to play with - love it!

First off, any play that encouraged cooking onstage, I'm predisposed to loving. Here it's particularly fun because IRL you'd be waiting a bit for those eggs and the silence during that wait, not to mention the aroma, would be a quiet delight. There's a great contrast in the play between the quiet and the loud, between seething and screaming. And act by act, beat by beat line by line it's a treasure. Rich with subtext, this is beautifully astute look at managing marriage and emotion. Wonderful!

There are few things I find more comedically satisfying onstage than seething, boiling, incandescent rage. Happily for me, the always deft David Hilder has written a three-act, 10-minute marriage play that serves up plenty of that white-hot deliciousness -- in a script that's paradoxically warm, charming, gentle, oh-so-relatable, and downright delightful. Nicely done.

So relatable. David Hilder writes a beautifully honest short centered on challenges found in a relationship. The need to be heard/understood is crippling communication between the main characters and yet - their love for one another keeps them working on it. Absolutely love the message.

Hilder’s short play is a witty and thoughtful exploration of marriage and the lengths we sometimes go to in order to “fix” what might not actually be broken. I love that these truthful characters were written for older actors. I also love the stage directions, which provide so much to collaborators. I felt happy at the end for the two main characters then had to remind myself that they're characters in a play, which says so much about the skill of the playwright. Would love to see this staged!

I so like both of these characters even though we only know a bit about them. But it's enough. They, like us, are still getting to know one another and themselves. And we're invited into their world--their half hour on Wednesday mornings, their card game with friends (loved the natural dialogue here especially) and their moments of honesty (gross nose blowing!) and understanding. Lovely.

Hilder gives us an interesting exploration of societal niceties and norms and communication/relationship health. Claire and Gordon are making progress, but they both still have work to do. But Hilder also lets us rest easy knowing that they'll get there, with the help of a half-hour every Wednesday morning and a little bit of origami. An excellent, well-balanced study in character.

Sometimes you cannot just be what others think you should be. Sometimes you just need to be. And be truthful. From the outset, the couples loves each other because they’re trying so hard. Who hasn’t wanted to murder their spouse after many years? Hilder offers a truthful and fun look at a couple in therapy trying to overcome their problems. As it happens, their solution beats the therapists. Who knows where they will be next week? It would be fun to speculate. A charmer.

Three acts in about 10 minutes. And it works beautifully. David Hilder adds some nice comic touches to some of the very real tensions that are bound to occur in any long-term relationship. This was a pleasure to read, including the stage directions (which serves as a note directors and actors eager to cross them out). Great roles for mature actors. Would love to see it staged.