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Daniel Prillaman

Recommended by Daniel Prillaman

  • Nina and Drew in a Little Canoe by Hannah Lee DeFrates
    31 May. 2023
    “ Funny, musing, and with a perfect pinch of irreverence, DeFrates' self-described "poetic mess" is anything but. A mess that is. Love is a mess, of course, but this exploration of it is not. It's a delight, with a pulsating sense of openness and energy that you could stage in endless ways. Actors and designers alike have a playground to work with here, and it would be so much fun to see this onstage. ”
  • Come Again by Lisa Dellagiarino Feriend
    30 May. 2023
    “ I grew up attending a Baptist church, but did not learn how many denominations of Christianity there were (including my own) until high school. My first reaction was anger, because I saw it as fighting over wording, instead of the spirit of the bigger picture. It's what we're doing now, and the bigger picture is that no matter our beliefs of how things are or should be, we're running on less and less and less time on this planet. Feriend's play is pitch-perfect, timely, hopeful, and grim, comforting the eco-grief, and confronting our inaction (or denial) at the same time. ”
  • Second Book Syndrome by Sam Heyman
    22 May. 2023
    “ To an extent, it's all our fantasy. "What if your character(s) leapt off the page and into real life?" Be careful what you wish for. Heyman's play doesn't go where you think it might. The characters of Schiftan's novel find themselves in our world, but find themselves confronted with very our world problems, as an existential exploration into the very heart of storytelling commences. What are stories, really? Who deserves to tell them? Are they solely ours? Perhaps most crucially, why do we write them? It's a nuanced, fascinating adventure, one that would be marvelous to see in action. ”
  • Mere Waters by Jillian Blevins
    20 May. 2023
    “ The Holocaust remains an example of some of the darkest, purest evils of which humanity is capable. We learn about it as children (at least, I don't think Republicans have eradicated that from the curriculum), but there's an element of aging that disconnects us from the horrors. That's why we tell stories. To remember. Lest we repeat it. "Mere Waters" is a staggering play, and a celebration and struggle of life, amidst so much cruelty and death. I had no idea Dr. Perl existed. Now that I do, it means everything. A call to action from the past. Magnificent work. ”
  • Tesseract by Scott Sickles
    16 May. 2023
    “ Fairly often, recommendations on this site will include some variation of the phrase, "I'd love to see this onstage." Well...Scott Sickles has achieved the impossible. He has crafted a terrifying, all-too-plausible epic that I do not want to see onstage, simply because I don't know if I could handle it. For that reason, it absolutely should be staged. "Tesseract" is riveting, disturbing, enraging, crippling, it's just...it's a nightmare. Brought to life. It crackles with dark energy. And I will never not be haunted by it. ”
  • The Alley by Christopher Soucy
    15 May. 2023
    “ "The Alley" is an unrelenting, deeply indicting behemoth. A (rare) well-intentioned inquiry from an employer to employee turns into something wholly unexpected, that plumbs into the darkest depths of human behavior and tendency. It's an immensely powerful piece, and so brilliantly restrained in its simplicity. I'm throwing all these fancy words out here because what I really am is speechless. I really can't say anything about this play that the play doesn't say better and clearer itself. So stop reading this rec and read the play instead. It's unfortunately timely, and timeless at the same time. ”
  • Come Back Right by Aly Kantor
    14 May. 2023
    “ Mary Shelley is dead. Or is she? Perhaps Aly Kantor has robbed her grave and stolen her essence through completely legitimate means. How else can she have crafted and tinkered into life this dark (and genuinely gut-busting), little dead body horror? Or is it a deal she's etched out with one of the old gods? An eldritch, looming cosmic entity skilled in the art of playwriting? My theory? It just comes naturally. She is that god herself. And "Come Back Right" is yet another small piece of her brilliance. Perfection. ”
  • Merlot LeMay With Mayonnaise by Jacquelyn Floyd-Priskorn
    14 May. 2023
    “ On the surface, Merl's tale is one of perseverance in the face of adversity. But if we clean up a layer of mayo and look deeper, we can find more. Just because a person holds rigid beliefs they assert are righteous and right, doesn't make them so. And if those beliefs are demeaning and mean-spirited, it really just makes them a dick. And nobody likes people who are dicks. They're dicks, and if anybody should be making room for better people, it's people who are dicks. This irreverent, pro-kindness short is hilarious and wise in equal measure. ”
  • Kairos by Lisa Sanaye Dring
    14 May. 2023
    “ Immortality is one of sci-fi's greatest thought experiments. Is living forever a curse? A blessing? Dring's play explodes that experiment by condensing our focus down to two partners in a budding relationship having to confront these very questions, as they find themselves in a world about to dramatically change. It's a fantastic, thought-provoking piece, and the world-building perfectly compliments the romantic dramedy at hand. Quite literally, this is a poem for the ages. ”
  • Actually, Honestly Going to Fucking Die by Paige Zubel
    13 May. 2023
    “ I don't like sand. It's coarse. Rough and irritating. You know how it goes. What I do love is this play. LIKE sand, it should get everywhere. Zubel's script is absolutely gobsmacking, insightfully and absurdly shining bright, bright light on alcoholism and sober life. To say much more would spoil the beauty of its shifts and movements, but rest assured that a full company would have a powerful, enthralling time creating the imagery here. God, how I would love to see this live. ”

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