Recommended by A.J. Ditty

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    A brutally honest, unflinching look into the misogyny of show business, PLEASE LAUGH is a harrowing ride through what is either a Talk Show filmed in hell or just a very normal night with James Corden. I have never, in all my years seeing theater, witnessed the cognitive dissonance this play inspires in its audience when they are asked to clap for some of the most horrific punchlines imaginable and reflect on their own complicity in enabling men like the Host to continue their work. Excellent.

    A brutally honest, unflinching look into the misogyny of show business, PLEASE LAUGH is a harrowing ride through what is either a Talk Show filmed in hell or just a very normal night with James Corden. I have never, in all my years seeing theater, witnessed the cognitive dissonance this play inspires in its audience when they are asked to clap for some of the most horrific punchlines imaginable and reflect on their own complicity in enabling men like the Host to continue their work. Excellent.

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    A devastating romp straight into the heart of content creation, Appetite explores, with blistering gusto and a not insignificant amount of cannibalism, the lengths to which people will go to be influential. Alberta's script crackles with razor-sharp wit and laser-like focus, barreling us towards a conclusion as surprising as it is inevitable. It is the rare play that is as thought-provoking as it is undeniably hilarious and pulls off the magic trick of having its human meat and eating it too.

    A devastating romp straight into the heart of content creation, Appetite explores, with blistering gusto and a not insignificant amount of cannibalism, the lengths to which people will go to be influential. Alberta's script crackles with razor-sharp wit and laser-like focus, barreling us towards a conclusion as surprising as it is inevitable. It is the rare play that is as thought-provoking as it is undeniably hilarious and pulls off the magic trick of having its human meat and eating it too.

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    Deeply felt and achingly funny, Kriah // A Tearing gazes into the heart of modern Judaism with an unflinching eye and an unwavering wit. Schrager grapples with so many hot-button issues in this play but manages to tie them all into a greater story about grief and the stories we tell ourselves about the people we love. A stirring, haunting read that deserves to be produced and talked about for years to come.

    Deeply felt and achingly funny, Kriah // A Tearing gazes into the heart of modern Judaism with an unflinching eye and an unwavering wit. Schrager grapples with so many hot-button issues in this play but manages to tie them all into a greater story about grief and the stories we tell ourselves about the people we love. A stirring, haunting read that deserves to be produced and talked about for years to come.

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    A brilliant send-up (and celebration of) fan culture, this absolutely hilarious and heartfelt play will stick with you long after the backstage shenanigans and failed genetic material heists have faded. A sharp and unrelenting look at love and longing, Leiber will charm you with parody one minute only to gut-punch you with the deep sadness at the heart of her characters the next. A perfect fit for any theater company regardless of their feelings about Paul McCartney (but also, come on, it's PAUL!!!)

    A brilliant send-up (and celebration of) fan culture, this absolutely hilarious and heartfelt play will stick with you long after the backstage shenanigans and failed genetic material heists have faded. A sharp and unrelenting look at love and longing, Leiber will charm you with parody one minute only to gut-punch you with the deep sadness at the heart of her characters the next. A perfect fit for any theater company regardless of their feelings about Paul McCartney (but also, come on, it's PAUL!!!)

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    An absolute riot of a play that stands out as not only a high-energy band-geeks-get-possessed-by-forest-spirits comedy but as a deeply moving meditation on friendship, growing up, and what it means to try and live in the impossible now. Toot, toot indeed.

    An absolute riot of a play that stands out as not only a high-energy band-geeks-get-possessed-by-forest-spirits comedy but as a deeply moving meditation on friendship, growing up, and what it means to try and live in the impossible now. Toot, toot indeed.

  • A.J. Ditty: Where in North Dakota is Carmen Sandiego? by Patrick Flynn
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    A dazzlingly silly and deeply haunting tragicomedy, Where in North Dakota is Carmen SanDiego? is the surprising adaptation of Waiting for Godot I never knew I needed. Flynn’s adept ear for dialogue and comic timing leads, through discussions of acronyms and geography, to a beautifully humane depiction of two characters forever on the run, forced at long last to stay in one place and reckon with themselves, each other, and their place in a wild, indifferent universe. It's got heart, humor, and a scene where Inspector Gadget fires a confetti cannon. Excellent.

    A dazzlingly silly and deeply haunting tragicomedy, Where in North Dakota is Carmen SanDiego? is the surprising adaptation of Waiting for Godot I never knew I needed. Flynn’s adept ear for dialogue and comic timing leads, through discussions of acronyms and geography, to a beautifully humane depiction of two characters forever on the run, forced at long last to stay in one place and reckon with themselves, each other, and their place in a wild, indifferent universe. It's got heart, humor, and a scene where Inspector Gadget fires a confetti cannon. Excellent.

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  • A.J. Ditty: Saints Go Marching by Matt Barbot
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    A poignant elegy on trauma and grief, SAINTS GO MARCHING delivers a sucker-punch of emotion in a wildly imaginative and deeply-felt tale of family, faith, and finding your place in the world. Barbot draws from a wide variety of inspirations, from Don Quixote to Neil Diamond, in order to weave a kaleidoscopic tapestry of a family in pain dealing with the loss of their in equal terms beloved and reviled patriarch. Like any good requiem, SAINTS GO MARCHING, while haunting, retains an optimism that anyone that has experienced loss might just recognize as hope. Produce. This. Play.

    A poignant elegy on trauma and grief, SAINTS GO MARCHING delivers a sucker-punch of emotion in a wildly imaginative and deeply-felt tale of family, faith, and finding your place in the world. Barbot draws from a wide variety of inspirations, from Don Quixote to Neil Diamond, in order to weave a kaleidoscopic tapestry of a family in pain dealing with the loss of their in equal terms beloved and reviled patriarch. Like any good requiem, SAINTS GO MARCHING, while haunting, retains an optimism that anyone that has experienced loss might just recognize as hope. Produce. This. Play.

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  • A.J. Ditty: Front of House by Colin Waitt
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    A Chekhovian farce of the highest order, FRONT OF HOUSE inspires as many belly laughs as it does panic attacks from anybody who's ever worked in the New York Service Industry. Waitt's precision with physical comedy is a wonder to behold, but, hidden among the slamming doors and upended plates is a surprisingly heartbreaking study of a ragtag group of people just trying to survive in an industry that constantly seeks to crush them. Poignant, heartfelt, and relentlessly hilarious, FRONT OF HOUSE delivers a full-course theatrical meal that will have you, like the characters themselves, declare it...

    A Chekhovian farce of the highest order, FRONT OF HOUSE inspires as many belly laughs as it does panic attacks from anybody who's ever worked in the New York Service Industry. Waitt's precision with physical comedy is a wonder to behold, but, hidden among the slamming doors and upended plates is a surprisingly heartbreaking study of a ragtag group of people just trying to survive in an industry that constantly seeks to crush them. Poignant, heartfelt, and relentlessly hilarious, FRONT OF HOUSE delivers a full-course theatrical meal that will have you, like the characters themselves, declare it "Tapa the Line".

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  • A.J. Ditty: Hot Steams by Zach Wegner
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    Martin McDonagh by way of Samuel Beckett (with just a splash of Philip Ridley), HOT STEAMS is a trippy, verbose, and startling play filled with enough twists, turns, and literary references to keep your head spinning and your stomach churning. Wegner has composed a relentlessly brutal deep-dive into the darkest parts of humanity, but his most remarkable trick is how deliriously entertaining he makes the ride. From the poetry of William Blake to waxing on the wonders of the human skull, HOT STEAMS weaves its macabre tale with a dark and giddy panache. Well done!

    Martin McDonagh by way of Samuel Beckett (with just a splash of Philip Ridley), HOT STEAMS is a trippy, verbose, and startling play filled with enough twists, turns, and literary references to keep your head spinning and your stomach churning. Wegner has composed a relentlessly brutal deep-dive into the darkest parts of humanity, but his most remarkable trick is how deliriously entertaining he makes the ride. From the poetry of William Blake to waxing on the wonders of the human skull, HOT STEAMS weaves its macabre tale with a dark and giddy panache. Well done!

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  • A.J. Ditty: Then, Of Course, All The Things Happened by Max Reuben
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    Hilarious, delicate, and quietly moving, THEN, OF COURSE, ALL THE THINGS HAPPENED is an emotional gut-punch of a play that throws a grenade at traditional play structure in order to find some truly messy, beautiful humanity underneath. Reuben's incredible gift at capturing entire lives in smallest of moments (things as small as making a screen name for the first time to watching a loved one pass away) is absolutely unmatched, and the random ordering of the scenes means you'll never get the same play twice. A must-read for anyone who has ever been a human.

    Hilarious, delicate, and quietly moving, THEN, OF COURSE, ALL THE THINGS HAPPENED is an emotional gut-punch of a play that throws a grenade at traditional play structure in order to find some truly messy, beautiful humanity underneath. Reuben's incredible gift at capturing entire lives in smallest of moments (things as small as making a screen name for the first time to watching a loved one pass away) is absolutely unmatched, and the random ordering of the scenes means you'll never get the same play twice. A must-read for anyone who has ever been a human.

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