←Recommendations of SMOKING FAGS ON A ROOFTOP

A dark, sharp little play that manages to celebrate the gay community's resilience in the face of oppression while offering a blistering critique of some of our worst tendencies. The writing is masterful with clearly drawn characters and verbal repartee shimmering with wit that barely conceals the terror beneath. I found myself torn between enjoying the sparkle and confronting the real issues of the play, which is of course the whole point of the piece.

I have a phobia about smoking. (It's called capnophobia - Google it.) As such it's EXTREMELY difficult for me to endure even references to it without agitation or nausea. It is a testament to Houk's skill that I made it through all ten minutes! The play perfectly captures that "eye of the inferno at the end of the world" vibe. While, the characters are all gorgeously rendered, I especially loved Vince who strives to reach a poetically beautiful objective while the world runs down the clock. Exquisite!

Complacency has it's consequences. In Craig Houk's dark dystopian comedy we find ourselves at first laughingly entertained by it's three protagonists. We know them. We may be them. The golden boys; the chosen. But as the play moves forward (and the night sky starts to glow eerily brighter) we slowly learn we've been duped and, along with our trio of characters, begin to realize that the higher the elevation the more devastating the fall, and the horrible cost of inaction. Highly recommended.

After seeing recommendation upon recommendation of "Smoking Fags on a Rooftop," I couldn't resist reading it myself...and I'm ashamed to say it took me this long. Houk's writing is direct yet real, and the content alludes to both a disastrous past and scarily-encroaching future, should we get complacent with the present. I don't love the term "modern day classic," but if there ever was one, this feels like it's it!

This is a masterclass in exposition. Houk opens on what may very well just be a normal rooftop gathering atop an urban apartment complex, but then the awful, little breadcrumbs start to trickle out, painting a horrific mural of the dystopian world these characters inhabit. Oh, and that beautifully executed ending... <shiver>!

Craig Houk may call "Smoking Fags on a Rooftop" a playlet, but don't let the tightness and length of this story fool you into thinking it's a light little piece. It has strong and well-defined characters, a compelling and powerful time frame, and smart and insightful dialogue, and with the brilliant casting and directing as seen at the Valdez Theatre Conference in 2026, it made me think a lot longer than the the moments seen and heard. Great work.

At what point does "resistance" curdle into complacency? And by the time that distinction is obvious, is it already well too late? That's the question Craig Houk poses in SMOKING FAGS ON A ROOFTOP by means of a taut, richly imagined, all-too-relatable dystopian short. Vivid, mordantly funny, and urgent work.

A wonderful exploration of queer in-fighting and fascist themes that manages to portray its issues through natural, engaging conversation. I saw this piece read at the 2026 Valdez Theatre Conference and walked out of the room full of thoughts and inspired to dig deeper into the playwright's work. Excellent job!

This piece is just as thoughtful and incisive as the multi-layered title suggests. The characters are distinct, the dialogue engaging, and the dystopic look towards the future (and allusions to our current state of affairs) is incredibly well-drawn. Lovely and prescient.

There is so much happening beneath the conversation we see in this playlet, and it will spark conversations long after the play is over. As Houk illustrates in this piece: every regime needs a bit of sparkle, doesn't it? A peek into a future where we haven't learned from the past, as well as why we shouldn't let the fascists pit us against one another. Writing is resilience after all and Houk's writing shows this masterfully. A very important play.