Recommended by Shaun Leisher

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    It's exactly what the title says and it's quite a hoot. Loved being a fly on the wall as these gal pals catch up and yap about thrusting strap-ons up their partners butts. It's a brash and bawdy play that really goes there but also was moving in how it hands the idea of gender expansiveness. It was also a delightful depiction of a Mormon that isn't repressed or bigoted. I could see this play fitting in very well in a short play festival. Lots of laughs will be had but I think some tears might be shed too.

    It's exactly what the title says and it's quite a hoot. Loved being a fly on the wall as these gal pals catch up and yap about thrusting strap-ons up their partners butts. It's a brash and bawdy play that really goes there but also was moving in how it hands the idea of gender expansiveness. It was also a delightful depiction of a Mormon that isn't repressed or bigoted. I could see this play fitting in very well in a short play festival. Lots of laughs will be had but I think some tears might be shed too.

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    It was hard not to think of Oscar Wilde while reading this. It's a 19th century comedy of manners for the modern generation of gender expansive folx that The Importance of Being Earnest wishes it could be. Everyone in this play has something about them that is a little different than what's expected of them and they are all trying to supress it as they aim for a comfortable life. A life with a partner of the approved gender identity only though. The yearning these characters experience is palpable and kept me hooked.

    It was hard not to think of Oscar Wilde while reading this. It's a 19th century comedy of manners for the modern generation of gender expansive folx that The Importance of Being Earnest wishes it could be. Everyone in this play has something about them that is a little different than what's expected of them and they are all trying to supress it as they aim for a comfortable life. A life with a partner of the approved gender identity only though. The yearning these characters experience is palpable and kept me hooked.

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    It was refreshing to read this play on Juneteenth. Refreshing because it's play about Black people that's not about their oppression and their bodies are not under constant threat. This is a play about Black joy and Black utopia. The world-building in this play is phenomenal and I love how well-written each character is and how meticulously their place in this community is crafted. Every member of this cast (shout out to ensemble casts!!) is a distincly complex human and the way they relate together is so compelling.

    It was refreshing to read this play on Juneteenth. Refreshing because it's play about Black people that's not about their oppression and their bodies are not under constant threat. This is a play about Black joy and Black utopia. The world-building in this play is phenomenal and I love how well-written each character is and how meticulously their place in this community is crafted. Every member of this cast (shout out to ensemble casts!!) is a distincly complex human and the way they relate together is so compelling.

  • JOY

    by Lex Thammavong

    Suicide is explored here so unlike most plays I've read on the topic. Joy doesn't want to die but she is so very tired of living. That perspective is such a fresh one and is looked at with so much empathy and without giving easy answers. By introducing Jonah, the play leans towards the buddy comedy genre and even starts to feel like a fucked up Its A Wonderful Life. This play will in some ways give hope to the despairing and also show how death isn't something to be feared but just another adventure when it is time.

    Suicide is explored here so unlike most plays I've read on the topic. Joy doesn't want to die but she is so very tired of living. That perspective is such a fresh one and is looked at with so much empathy and without giving easy answers. By introducing Jonah, the play leans towards the buddy comedy genre and even starts to feel like a fucked up Its A Wonderful Life. This play will in some ways give hope to the despairing and also show how death isn't something to be feared but just another adventure when it is time.

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    We get the art of about college life and post-grad but what about that stretch of time between the start of freshman year and Thanskgiving Break? So much changes. People become unrecognizable. Especially to those they've knowen their whole lives. Kanzler does a really good job showing a snapshot into the lives of 7 friends that want so many things to change and yet long for them to stay the same. The friendships we have in high school aren't always meant to last and this play beautifully shows how fragile they can be.

    We get the art of about college life and post-grad but what about that stretch of time between the start of freshman year and Thanskgiving Break? So much changes. People become unrecognizable. Especially to those they've knowen their whole lives. Kanzler does a really good job showing a snapshot into the lives of 7 friends that want so many things to change and yet long for them to stay the same. The friendships we have in high school aren't always meant to last and this play beautifully shows how fragile they can be.

  • Shaun Leisher: Jephthah's Daughter's Name by Carina Kanzler
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    How could this play written at least 5 years ago have predicted the rise of Erika Kirk, Savanna Stone and the rest of this fascist movement to convince young women that their sole aim in life should be a dutiful wife and caring mother? Reading this play felt like I was overhearing conversations in the girls bunk on the countless church retreats I went on. Conversations trying to find their place in their faith community but also stay true to themselves. I admire the choice to not name these women but we all know who they are.

    How could this play written at least 5 years ago have predicted the rise of Erika Kirk, Savanna Stone and the rest of this fascist movement to convince young women that their sole aim in life should be a dutiful wife and caring mother? Reading this play felt like I was overhearing conversations in the girls bunk on the countless church retreats I went on. Conversations trying to find their place in their faith community but also stay true to themselves. I admire the choice to not name these women but we all know who they are.

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  • Shaun Leisher: CROSS Y BANDERA by Antonia Cruz-Kent
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    When done well, I am a big fan of personification and this play does it really well. Cross and Bandera are items in the life of woman that has died. This play reflects on what happens to a person's things after they pass and what happens when we realize they are more than just things. This play looks at the personal significance of these objects but also the joy and deep pain they have brought to an entire culture. The dialogue is great and stage directions are both thrilling and distressing. Really loved this play.

    When done well, I am a big fan of personification and this play does it really well. Cross and Bandera are items in the life of woman that has died. This play reflects on what happens to a person's things after they pass and what happens when we realize they are more than just things. This play looks at the personal significance of these objects but also the joy and deep pain they have brought to an entire culture. The dialogue is great and stage directions are both thrilling and distressing. Really loved this play.

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  • Shaun Leisher: culling season by Keira Dig
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    I think with a play like this there's a temptation to make the scenario a backdrop to the relationships but it feels like the opposite here. The quasi-love triangle is secondary to what is happening to the deer population. The messy entanglements between these 3 is what distracts them from this job and those that protest it and encroach on their realities at the right moments. The surreal moments of this play will also really stick with me. It's a beautiful look at how we relate with other humans and the animal kingdom.

    I think with a play like this there's a temptation to make the scenario a backdrop to the relationships but it feels like the opposite here. The quasi-love triangle is secondary to what is happening to the deer population. The messy entanglements between these 3 is what distracts them from this job and those that protest it and encroach on their realities at the right moments. The surreal moments of this play will also really stick with me. It's a beautiful look at how we relate with other humans and the animal kingdom.

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  • Shaun Leisher: MOONBODIES by Halley Platz
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    Glad I didn't read the synopsis of this play. I feel like I don't get to read enough plays that truly surprise and blow all my expectations of how things will go after scene one completely out of the water. This play does that and it is one of the many reasons that I am glad that it exists. Another reason is that it explores the world of kink in the fat community is such an interesting and judgment-free way. Any yet another reason is that its a pure horror play that I can not wait to see fully staged.

    Glad I didn't read the synopsis of this play. I feel like I don't get to read enough plays that truly surprise and blow all my expectations of how things will go after scene one completely out of the water. This play does that and it is one of the many reasons that I am glad that it exists. Another reason is that it explores the world of kink in the fat community is such an interesting and judgment-free way. Any yet another reason is that its a pure horror play that I can not wait to see fully staged.

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  • Shaun Leisher: are you listening? Adapted by Noma Mirny
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    This is for sure a story that could be adapted for the screen but I'm so glad that Mirny could chose the stage. There are evocative stage pictures that I picture on botht the Broadway and black box college theatre level and at its core it's a play about people talking and connecting which is what I look for in theatre. I love that that it's a queer story where being queer is not the main character trait of these individuals and trauma is handled here with such care. I need to read Tillie Walden's stuff now.

    This is for sure a story that could be adapted for the screen but I'm so glad that Mirny could chose the stage. There are evocative stage pictures that I picture on botht the Broadway and black box college theatre level and at its core it's a play about people talking and connecting which is what I look for in theatre. I love that that it's a queer story where being queer is not the main character trait of these individuals and trauma is handled here with such care. I need to read Tillie Walden's stuff now.

    ”