Recommended by Shaun Leisher

I'm really glad there are plays like this that show just how huge the lives of young people can feel. How hard it can be to be true to yourself while also trying so hard to please others. I appreciated that adults were absent from this play but they still loom over every moment. I loved how the vast spectrum of queerness is represented in this play. I loved how straight-forward yet multi-faceted the conflict here is. These characters have real depth and complexity. A play that needs to be in the hands of young people everywhere.

"Your path means nothing if it is all for yourself."

In the queer community (specifically lesbian in this play) connection and comradery is everything. People have so much to learn from each other. They especially have a lot to learn from those that came before. This play is a fascinating dissection of aspects of the lesbian experience. I love the way time and reality is played with. This play is funny and will also break your heart. This is a wonderful piece for an ensemble actors with no needed. Just a great story to tell.

A futuristic play about the way society has of sucking the soul out of it's workers. I love that we don't know anything about this company. We just know about these characters and their struggles. Each of these characters are working for their own reason. Some for a better life and some to pay a debt but the playwright makes sure that no matter the reason they are a full human with dignity. I appreciated the way we see how the company plays games with these characters to boost morale. I definitely related to this piece.

Brilliant use of the horror genre to share information about the Land Back movement. I loved that the BIPOC characters are the ones given names and actual depth and all the white characters are generic and interchangeable. I loved the way the relationship between Ash and Aaron is written and how the complexity of sibling relationships is depicted. I loved that Ash's two-spirit identity is just a given. No focus on pronouns or coming out. It's just who they are. Really want to see someone do this play with all the stage magic.

Justice Hehir is probably my favorite writer working today and this play is another banger. I loved that this was a play about the development of new work for the stage. It didn't feel too inside baseball though. The characters are so interesting and their struggles are so relatable that I think anyone would be able to connect with this play. I loved the idea of what we tell a playwright we think of their work versus how we really feel. I loved the intimate and messy moments these characters have. I loved how Chekhovian it is.

Simply put, this is a perfect two-hander and I want to direct it right now. It reminds me of a play like Circle Mirror Transformation, where we only get to meet these characters in this one location. Different people have different feelings about high school and that's captured well here. I loved the way Lardner subtly touches on the 2016 election and COVID without taking the focus off these characters. I love this play and want to see it produced everywhere. Amazing role for a Korean American actress.

An indictment of how messed up sex education is in this country. Very interesting that these girls might know what an abortion is (or at least they people think it's wrong) and not know how sex works. Interesting but not unbelievable considering they are growing up in a world of indignant political clickbait and the 24-hour news cycle. I loved the choice to have characters be potentially played by adult actors of various ages. Such a funny short play that will depress the shit out of you. Definitely recommend staging this.

I don't know a ton about the specific Greek myth but it wasn't necessary to fully appreciate this play. Taking the ancient concept of a woman's chastity and exploring it through the lens of teenage girls is always a smart choice in my opinion. I liked how different these girls are from each other and they start as adversaries in a way only to find connection by the end. Also, loved the use of heightened language. This would be a fun piece to produce (especially in educational theatre) that will also create needed conversation.

This play is fantastic. A scathing takedown of the pop music industry of the early-2000s that's also a compelling character study about gender, race and the quest to find one's authentic voice. Highly recommend listening to the demos as you read. These songs are legitimately well-written pop music that fit the characters so well. The choice to tell the personal story of these women alongside the invasion of Iraq was inspired. I also really loved all the metatheatrical moments that I refuse to spoil here. PRODUCE THIS PLAY!

This is just a really enjoyable play. The jokes are great. The characters are fun and quirky. I had a really good time reading this. I'm also in awe that between all the stoner humor and clever language, this piece also has a lot to say about human nature. The way that we as people have always needed some force to believe to make order out of the world. The way we always looked to individuals to interpret the words of those forces. Great roles for SWANA actors and I could only imagine the fun designers would have with this.