←Recommendations of Marianas Trench (Part One of The Second World Trilogy)

A work of aching beauty — timeless and timely, terrifying and heartbreaking, yet full of hope and humanity.

A beautiful play about being an intelligent and queer kid in a collapsing world that values neither. Highly recommended.

This is a beautiful epic play that is so moving. A political thriller and a love story. A story of authenticity in a dangerous world. I love the way Sickles captures my attention with the quirky character of Teddy and his imagination of the deepest part of the sea and creates a metaphor about camouflage and the dangers of true love in an unsafe world. So relatable.

Look, my attention span is nothing to brag about. If I even manage to finish reading a full-length script, it should be considered high praise. I not only finished Marianas Trench, but I'm eager to dive into the second part of Scott Sickles' Second World Trilogy, Pangea.

Yes, I entered into this foolishly hoping it would read like a staged adaptation of The Meg 3: Megsistential Dread. Instead, it's a political thriller that, at times, feels like The Diary of Anne Frank, only standing in the road before us instead of in the rearview mirror. I'm glad it's getting produced.

I try to never go into art with expectations. Of course, that's impossible. We all make judgments from the slightest things we can. I've read a handful of Scott Sickles' plays by now. They've come to carry a certain expectation. The writing will be good and the characters well-made. Something queer will be afoot. But the expectation is less material than that. His plays evoke, for me, a fading lilac, a still from a forgotten film, a heavy caesura after a sforzando. This play has received plenty of love. It's all deserved. I hope one day to see it performed.

Here's the thing: if you grew up a nerdy child in America and you lived to tell the tale, then nothing about our present, frightening political moment is the least bit surprising - the impulse towards fascism is just the bullying instinct writ large. Sickles knows this truth in his bones, and he's used it as the foundation of MARIANAS TRENCH - a magnificent melange of science-fiction epic, coming-of-age story, immigrant saga, queer romance, political satire, and possibly (gods I hope not) prophesy. A spectacular achievement.

Beautiful and timely - or perhaps even timeless? - Scott Sickles creates a world frighteningly familiar and populates it with gorgeously drawn sympathetic characters that you root for from the opening line. A masterclass in poetic dystopian sci-fi. I’m going to read this one over and over and hopefully get to see it staged. Simply beautiful (apologies for overusing the word).

I assigned this piece in the first month of my graduate New Play Development class in Spring 2023. We all loved it's prescient, moving story, finely drawn characters, and beautiful relationships. Reading the end of semester reflections, this was one of the plays that stayed with everyone--it's the one that they remembered, reflected on, and found themselves drawn back to even after a packed semester. I'll hold this one close for a long time.

I’m this gorgeous and urgent play, Sickles seamlessly pairs a deeply felt love story with a troubling vision of a dystopian, divided America. The play unites these elements seamlessly, envying intelligent social commentary with pathos and humor. I was especially struck by Sickles’ extraordinary ability to capture and express the complex thoughts, dreams, and fears of his young characters through highly realistic dialogue. He makes playwriting looks absolutely effortless and yet there is so much mastery to be found in this outstanding play!

Finally, we have a play that celebrates the unique love that two nerdy prepubescent boys can have for one another brilliantly drawn against a terrifyingly prescient backdrop of a fractured America. Scott's ability to have pen pals bring letters to life and also use a vast amount of scientific information in active, character-specific, and even quirkily romantic ways is just breathtaking. All while the characters are animated by the real threat of persecution from MAGA-inspired secessionists. You will definitely laugh and cry...and you will be on the edge of your seat. I love this play with all my heart.