Recommended by Conor McShane

  • Conor McShane: Even Flowers Bloom in Hell, Sometimes

    A tough, beautiful play about the indignities and dehumanization of our prison system, and the ways people find to hold onto their humanity on the inside. It doesn't shy away from some very difficult truths about the reality of life for many Americans, but finds moments of poetry, joy, and love within the prison's concrete walls.

    A tough, beautiful play about the indignities and dehumanization of our prison system, and the ways people find to hold onto their humanity on the inside. It doesn't shy away from some very difficult truths about the reality of life for many Americans, but finds moments of poetry, joy, and love within the prison's concrete walls.

  • Conor McShane: The Exposed Bone Workshop Collective Ensemble Studio "Not Just Your Average Theatre Company" Theatre Company Presents: "When Pigs Fly!" A Reading Series of Hot & Spicy New American Plays Written by the Artistic Director

    I think a lot of theatre people (myself included) have a somewhat love/hate relationship to our art form. We do it because we love it, but it can also feel isolating, insular, totally ineffectual at actually making an impact. This play captures that feeling so well, serving as a trenchant takedown of (straight, white, male) artistic ego and performative allyship. I laughed, cringed, and shook my head in dismay, sometimes all at the same time. I like to think these "hot and spicy" plays are exaggerated in their cluelessness for effect, but honestly, probably not.

    I think a lot of theatre people (myself included) have a somewhat love/hate relationship to our art form. We do it because we love it, but it can also feel isolating, insular, totally ineffectual at actually making an impact. This play captures that feeling so well, serving as a trenchant takedown of (straight, white, male) artistic ego and performative allyship. I laughed, cringed, and shook my head in dismay, sometimes all at the same time. I like to think these "hot and spicy" plays are exaggerated in their cluelessness for effect, but honestly, probably not.

  • Conor McShane: The Shady Lady: A Robust Blend of Privilege, Influence, and White-Collar Crime

    A snappy, extremely funny satire of the entitlement of mediocre white men, their uncanny ability to fail upward, and the women left to solve all the problems. The cast of characters--apart perhaps from Prestons both Big and Little--are sympathetic even as they get drawn deeper into their crimes, and their increasing ability to justify their actions.

    A snappy, extremely funny satire of the entitlement of mediocre white men, their uncanny ability to fail upward, and the women left to solve all the problems. The cast of characters--apart perhaps from Prestons both Big and Little--are sympathetic even as they get drawn deeper into their crimes, and their increasing ability to justify their actions.

  • Conor McShane: Sputnik

    A propulsive almost-one-man show that shines a light on a forgotten bit of civil rights history, and proves what can be accomplished with enough conviction and a strong sense of right and wrong.

    A propulsive almost-one-man show that shines a light on a forgotten bit of civil rights history, and proves what can be accomplished with enough conviction and a strong sense of right and wrong.

  • Conor McShane: New Dementian

    A lovely, moving, carefully observed dramedy that makes great use of theatricality to convey the slippery nature of memory and Chuck's illness. The family dynamics are terrific, and the characters' flawed but relatable humanity shines through.

    A lovely, moving, carefully observed dramedy that makes great use of theatricality to convey the slippery nature of memory and Chuck's illness. The family dynamics are terrific, and the characters' flawed but relatable humanity shines through.

  • Conor McShane: that drive thru monterey

    A beautiful, magical realist play that seems to float off the page and into your heart. The characters have such lovely, lived-in relationships, I found myself fully drawn into their world as they struggle to be their authentic selves and push against the roles they're given by their society, their culture, and their era, and the ways in which those constraints can be passed down through the generations.

    A beautiful, magical realist play that seems to float off the page and into your heart. The characters have such lovely, lived-in relationships, I found myself fully drawn into their world as they struggle to be their authentic selves and push against the roles they're given by their society, their culture, and their era, and the ways in which those constraints can be passed down through the generations.

  • Conor McShane: Wad

    A terrific, phantasmagorical two-hander that manages to be by turns darkly funny and devastating. I loved the way it transitions fluidly between fantasy and reality, and the way the playwright utilizes the space to play with our perception of time. This would be an absolute blast to perform or to watch, and I hope I get to someday!

    A terrific, phantasmagorical two-hander that manages to be by turns darkly funny and devastating. I loved the way it transitions fluidly between fantasy and reality, and the way the playwright utilizes the space to play with our perception of time. This would be an absolute blast to perform or to watch, and I hope I get to someday!

  • Conor McShane: retrofit(s)

    I love it when a play can place me in a world that's completely unfamiliar to me, and while I've never had the "pleasure" of the waking nightmare that is working in retail, I've worked a number of crappy jobs, and this play deftly conjures the daily indignities and tight bonds of people just trying to get by until their "real life" begins. The bracing, bitter denouement is a potent reminder of the compromises people are often forced to make in order to "make it" in America.

    I love it when a play can place me in a world that's completely unfamiliar to me, and while I've never had the "pleasure" of the waking nightmare that is working in retail, I've worked a number of crappy jobs, and this play deftly conjures the daily indignities and tight bonds of people just trying to get by until their "real life" begins. The bracing, bitter denouement is a potent reminder of the compromises people are often forced to make in order to "make it" in America.

  • Conor McShane: CANE

    I've never worked in a restaurant, but there's such a wonderful specificity to this play that feels incredibly lived-in and authentic. The long stressful hours, the casual substance use/abuse, the tight-knit familial relationships that often blur the lines of boss/employee all serve to make the reader feel like a part of the crew.

    I've never worked in a restaurant, but there's such a wonderful specificity to this play that feels incredibly lived-in and authentic. The long stressful hours, the casual substance use/abuse, the tight-knit familial relationships that often blur the lines of boss/employee all serve to make the reader feel like a part of the crew.

  • Conor McShane: The Machine

    A terrific, engrossing meditation on the nature of creativity, and really the nature of identity itself. Are we really just a collection of impulses traveling along neural pathways, or is there some spark of magic that makes us who we are? The play's conclusion serves as a surprisingly optimistic look at a way where we don't have to be at odds with the technology that will likely one day outpace us.

    A terrific, engrossing meditation on the nature of creativity, and really the nature of identity itself. Are we really just a collection of impulses traveling along neural pathways, or is there some spark of magic that makes us who we are? The play's conclusion serves as a surprisingly optimistic look at a way where we don't have to be at odds with the technology that will likely one day outpace us.