Recommended by Scott Carter Cooper

  • Indoor Cats
    20 Feb. 2023
    I saw the Chicago production. Harris has created the kind of play I wish I'd written. Smart and funny. It's the kind of material that makes competent actors give good performances, and brilliant actors inspired ones. One of my favorite pieces of the past year.
  • The Sign
    8 Feb. 2023
    With echoes of A Death of A Salesman, and played out against a backdrop of American tragedy, Maronich creates a loving portrait of three generations of a family through the musicality of their language and illustrates how ambition can lead to the commoditization of culture and potential disaster. The journey comes full circle to a message of hope. Highly satisfying.
  • Simmer
    5 Dec. 2022
    Silva effortlessly creates authentic generations with conflicting and complementary points of view in this light little family comedy/drama. His senior citizens in particular are more than just plot devices for younger characters. They're delightful, fully rounded characters. Deceptively simple, this play packs a punch and uplifts without ever feeling forced or contrived.
  • A Date With Dagon
    29 Nov. 2022
    Writing a comedy is one of the hardest things in the world. Lipshutz and Hall not only demonstrate an unparalleled creativity, they make it look effortless with A Date with a Dragon. Finely drawn characters that humanize the terrifying. Excellent.
  • The Ragged Claws
    17 Nov. 2022
    Patel creates complex characters with relationships that echo one another, set against a rugged backdrop of a dystopian near future. Using an investigation of British colonialism as a framework, and not letting anyone completely off the hook, this script is rich with tension and compassionate to all of its characters. The payoff at the end as emotionally devastating for the reader as it is catastrophic for these characters.
  • Plague Year
    25 Oct. 2022
    Matthew Park is one of the few playwrights who's able to tackle a big theme without coming across as pedantic or letting his work scream, "I DID RESEARCH!" I first encountered Park's work in the Playground - NY Writer's Pool. His plots are simple and elegant. His characters are fresh and true. Park is a writer to watch.
  • Mother Of
    6 Oct. 2022
    Katherine Gwynn is the bravest playwright I know. Not only does this script challenge conventional form, it unflinchingly challenges the heart the patriarchy. With humor and pathos, some of Gwynn's lines are pure poetry. Two of my favorites:

    The angel has lived through too much to not need the comfort of humor.

    I am god-wrought and god-rotten
  • Elevator
    6 Aug. 2022
    With fifty-nine words of dialogue - FIFTY NINE! - Dakota Pariset creates a touching little romantic comedy that is as satisfying as any in recent memory.
  • Good Samaritan
    11 Mar. 2022
    Cole creates a vivid portrait of a family blinded by crisis, and a tense final moment that chills the audience.
  • 7 Minutes to Live
    26 Aug. 2020
    Conlon deftly packs high art, broad comedy, and existential dread into two compact acts with four characters who navigate a single night filled with shifting allegiances. This is a fascinating work that asks all of the right questions of an audience and trusts us to reach our own conclusions. Gripping.

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