Recommended by Hallie Palladino

  • Grindrd
    9 Oct. 2017
    This ten minute play manages to succinctly encapsulate everything disturbing about dating apps and smart phone culture.
  • Border Grammar (The Play)
    9 Oct. 2017
    This charming short comedy has colorful characters and playful use of language. How far will Mrs. Mata go to enforce good grammar?
  • Em 'n' Nam
    8 Oct. 2017
    This play is a terrifying and absurd look at pathological misogyny played out in the most unlikely of classrooms. The play starts dark and gets darker, but it also manages to be deeply entertaining as Formby takes full advantage of the comic possibilities of the heightened world she's created.
  • Mother Lode
    8 Oct. 2017
    Messina is a wry contemporary look at structural obstacles facing working mothers. As Lauren deals with the stress of trying to breastfeed a newborn she faces being demoted. Her colleague never went back after baby and she's terrified this could happen to her. Her local mom's group makes her feel guilty about living up to impossible standards, but also they're there for her in a pinch. A very realistic portrayal of the emotional price tag of female camaraderie and the difficult choices even privileged mothers have to make when the deck is stacked against them. An anti mother-blame play.
  • Southbridge
    8 Oct. 2017
    This play has an suspenseful eleventh hour start and the story unfurls in a dynamic way full of revelations. Christopher, nicknamed Stranger, can see into everybody's future but his own and won't heed the warnings of his intuitive wife Nadia. Southbridge examines the nuances of relationships between black and white citizens of a small town in 1880s Ohio and the way those relationships are laced with prejudice, jealousy and danger. A heart stopping story of ambition, passion and regret that will keep you guessing until the end.
  • Mind Shift (one act)
    27 Sep. 2017
    I saw this play at Bechdel Fest 5. It was unsettling, mysterious and left just the right number of questions unanswered. And of course there's a twist.
  • DAUGHTERS OF THE MOON-Reginald Edmund
    27 Sep. 2017
    This play is a heart-wrenching, fearless, scrupulously truthful portrayal of the crime of slavery and the many crimes of violence and evil compounded within it. Kokuma is a heroic young girl whose journey is riveting. This play is full of suspense. Edmund is not afraid to make his audience face descriptions of unthinkable violence. There are also moments of magic juxtaposed with these horrors. Kokuma is a brave, resourceful character any actress would love to play. Glad this is the first in a collection of plays because I care so much about Kokuma's family and I'm hungry to read more.
  • Faith in a Fallen World
    22 Sep. 2017
    This is a touching coming of age story about family, identity and faith. The world Kelly creates is lovingly rendered and her characters are all lovable yet flawed, deeply self-aware to a point but unknowing in critical ways. And the magical elements serve heighten the play's emotional resonance. Bethany's agency in crafting her own future blossoms in surprising ways as the play progresses.
  • Retcon, or Actually it's a Play About Ethics in Superhero Journalism
    22 Sep. 2017
    This play is clever, timely and full of insider humor that at once lovingly celebrates and mercilessly critiques geek culture and the on and off line discourse that influences the gatekeepers of trademarked superheroes. This play is a story about collective storytelling that exposes the stakes we all have in our desire to feel represented.
  • Principal Principle
    22 Sep. 2017
    Principal Principle is a smart, funny and important story about the challenges facing public school teachers. The seasoned teachers in the room have Kay's number the moment she steps in the door. But the changes in Kay surprise even her. A play about the realities of educational policy in action and what happens when ideals collide with reality. Zarrow succeeds in making everyone feel implicated.

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