←Recommendations of WHALE, ACTUALLY

Finally, we know what happened to Amelia Earhart!

Or do we…?

Hanna presents a wonderfully imaginative microcosm in the least likely yet somehow most oddly logical of places. But as with any mystery, all is not what it seems. Even the comic absurdity has surprising depth and an effective, resonant twist. As an added bonus, any festival scenic designer would kill to do this play! Trompe-l'œil, people! It’s a wild, imaginative ride - and at least we know what we WANT to have happened!

Two men try to uphold the patriarchy despite being trapped in the belly of a whale? What's not to love in Ava Love Hanna's sendup of masculinity, Jonah, early aviation, Pinocchio (?) and probably 10 or 12 other things. Very funny and all too real.

No one knows what happened to Amelia Earhart after her plane disappeared over the waves of the Pacific Ocean, so we have no reason to doubt the veracity of this short, absurdist, historical docudrama. Ava Love Hannah’s deft takedown of masculine entitlement and the “sanctity” of all-male spaces is sure to leave you laughing. If you see just one “female historical icon trapped in the belly of a whale as a metaphor for the destructive nature of the patriarchy” play this year, let it be this one.

This clever piece doesn't just take a bite out of toxic masculinity/the patriarchy- it chews it up and swallows it whole. I really love what this play has to say and HOW it says it! Full of imagination, humor, and cetaceans!

Patriarchy Flourishing Under The Sea? Whale, Actually skewers male entitlement in a way that is both hilarious and hard hitting. Regardless of where this play may fit in the timeline of Amelia Earhart’s real life, this is a short play that is sure to have audiences laughing hard and fighting harder to keep from strangling these Certified Vintage misogynists. Produce this play!

Are you looking for a play that examines how stifling the patriarchy and heteronormativity are in the most deliciously irreverent way conceivable? Should it also have a delightfully on-the-nose Jungian setting? Well, I have to tell you, you’ve found it! It’s this gem of a play! What a giddy delight this one would be on stage.

A whale of a tale indeed. Ava Love Hanna takes a sharp satirical look at the patriarchy by narrowing its scope to the confines of an airplane cockpit and the inside of a whale. Many laugh out loud moments and a fitting tribute to a flight shared by Amelia Earhart and Eleanor Roosevelt, two women who soared to amazing heights despite the ever present men’s club. I would love to see this staged with all its crazy potential.

An absurdly-historical whale of a tale. Adorable characters, bizarrely believable setting. No flotsam and jetsam here--well, a little bit--but you'll see what I mean. It's a pure nugget of ambergris! Fav line: "A sperm whale to be exact. The most manly of all the whales." Thanks for the laugh!

This is a whip-smart, delightful piece of playwriting. Clever concept, witty dialogue, and a nifty twist, all in about 10 minutes. I would love to see this play on stage.