Recommended by Daniel Prillaman

  • Pilloried
    20 Jul. 2023
    Everybody toots. What matters is how.

    Both a hilarious period comedy and a wise treatise on the power of embracing one's own shame, Blevins' little play is an absolute riot. Wilkin and Doxy are an immediately infectious duo, springing to life off of the page despite their stationary predicament. Any short playfest has a crowd winner with this one, as its gloriously dirty bodily function humor is just appropriate enough for all ages. Stop reading my words and read the play instead. Do it now.
  • THE PLAGUE
    17 Jul. 2023
    "The Plague" brings a lot of things together, many of them things I fear to spoil, and all of them in combinations that never before had I realized I very much wanted. Carnes' play is a slow-burning, satirical, grand dance into Hell, and an absolute playground for actors, dancers, and choreographers. So much fun will be had here in bringing the world of the studio to life. There's much to, uh...feed upon underneath the surface of it.
  • Stay Up and Keep Rolling
    2 Jul. 2023
    Every industry has been plagued by our current bout of unsustainable, late-stage capitalism. Gill's play is a troubling, keening mosaic of three truckers, some veteran, some rookie, all caught up in the vortex. It's an enlightening reminder that at the bottom rung of everything, are people. People with hopes, dreams, aspirations, and faults, just trying to survive in systems that don't particularly care if they do. It's brutal, moving, and heartbreaking, and if anyone is going to make it, it's because of the people willing to stay up with us.
  • Orta
    27 Jun. 2023
    A grand meditation on doubts and regret, whether it's truly possible to change, and so much more, "Orta" is a feast. It's a discovery. It's a feascovery!!

    St. Julius is genuinely one of the most delightful and distinct characters I've ever encountered, and he grounds an ensemble that continuously dazzles and amazes. Snakes and serpents are often used in tales as allegory or metaphor, but never quite in this way. It's a piece I will be unable to stop thinking about. Though I leave it for now, I surely will be back. Highly recommend.
  • The Unfillable
    21 Jun. 2023
    We know that cosmic horror is about the glimpses. The sudden knowledge of far too much or a visage of gods so vast that it breaks our brains. But it's so rare to encounter a play that feels like madness. From the first syllable, Horowitz's play feels insane. Not rad, not crazy, but fully immersed in something broken, and the more of it that we parse, the more we succumb to the fate of its characters. A fantastic short for two actors, no special effects budget needed. Check this out now.
  • Simon Says
    21 Jun. 2023
    Whether Simon Says or nay (...), we should all applaud Moughon's terrifying short. This is a tour-de-force for three actors, and it descends into absolute horror with perfect pacing. Even the stage directions pull atmosphere work here, and I would be hard-pressed to imagine anyone not leaving a theatre chilled. Magnificent. Many claim horror doesn't work on stage. It's too much. Too expensive. Too hard.

    We have a new example to point to that proves otherwise.
  • TASTY
    21 Jun. 2023
    The best short plays often end leaving us recontextualizing everything that came before it. It is (pardon the pun) a delicious thing, and Smith's "Tasty" supplies in spades. I shant spoil why Smith doesn't eat and Jones eats everything, but will offer that the pay-off is pitch perfect. Delectable.
  • Break a Leg
    19 Jun. 2023
    I mean...we have ghost lights for a reason, right? Medlin's short horror is deliciously effective, pitting two friends against a spirit that...well, wants to do some acting? I'll say nothing more, suffice that this would be a hit at any horror festival. If you're looking for some spooky in your afternoon, you won't do better than this. Delightful.
  • What if My Purpose is to Annihilate You?
    19 Jun. 2023
    First of all, what a magnificent title. This is a title everyone sees and wishes they had thought of it. It's absolutely brilliant, and if you disagree, thou art a liar. Moving forward, Bultrowicz puts voice to a compelling thought. "How telling is it that in the human imagination, the natural escalation of AI sentience comprehending human atrocity is the atrocity of our own genocide?" Thankfully, ADA is not human, and listening to her thoughts, hopes, and dreams is one of the most powerful monologues you will ever encounter. Everyone should read this. Then do it. Stellar.
  • In Fairness
    14 Jun. 2023
    Corona's dystopian torture tank is not only an absurdist masterclass, but a modern classic. Beckettian isolation and wordplay (the language! God, what magnificent language!) abounds throughout, resulting in a darkly surreal playground to both watch and participate in. It is a challenging piece, but daring and inviting, and one I look forward to digesting again and again. This is a script sorely in need of production. Enter.

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