Recommended by Dave Osmundsen

  • Mentally Ill / Gun Free
    12 Jan. 2020
    Wow. Salsbury has written a really powerful piece here. Gorgeously poetic language that just wrings grief, sorrow, and devastation. There are glimmers of happier moments, yes, but that only makes the situation even more heartbreaking. The final moments--when it all came together for me--are simultaneously comforting and shattering. Read this play.
  • Man Boobs
    11 Jan. 2020
    Phew! A ferociously dark, relentless, and brutal examination of trauma, self-image, and failed attempts at intimacy, both emotional and physical. In Spence and Marty, J. Julian Christopher gives the audience two characters to root for, even as the play reached its enthralling, horrifying, and disturbing climax. The resolution was bleak, yet realistic. Spot-on, breezy dialogue makes the play fly by as well. A fantastic piece of theatre all around that sheds a light on a sect of the gay male community we don't often see portrayed in media. Check it out!
  • Be My Little Baby
    11 Jan. 2020
    A quirky, deft, and funny play that both celebrates and investigates the myth of the American cowboy, both how it empowers some while devaluing others (specifically women). At the same time, it's a touching coming-of-age story about how one teenage boy finds the strength to stand up for himself and those he loves while grieving for his father. The piece is also unabashedly theatrical--I was particularly struck by the astral projection scenes. I can see actors and designers having a blast with this play.
  • Adderall Nation
    8 Jan. 2020
    This short comedy is a frantic, anxious, and wild burst of energy! Spot-on dialogue and a situation that escalates in absurdity throughout the piece. Well-done!
  • MLM is for Murder (Or, Your Side Hustle is Killing Us)
    5 Jan. 2020
    A FABULOUS satire that has everything from Mormons to multi-level-marketing schemes to true crime podcasts to academics to corporate jobs to, yes, murder. Alternatively funny and horrifying, "MLM is for Murder" is a deceptively complex take on what happens when we choose to fight against the prescribed narratives of our lives. Bavoso is savvy enough to cast his story in shades of gray, highlighting the moral ambiguities of his characters' actions--when a character attains success, there are always consequences. A blast to read, and a play I can't wait to see staged!
  • Tracy Jones
    2 Jan. 2020
    Edward Albee meets Samuel D. Hunter. A wonderful play about the lengths we will go to to connect with others. The snappy, fast-paced dialogue and bordering-on-absurd premise has the ability to make you laugh one minute and hold back tears the next. Kaplan also does a great job of playing with the expectations of both the audience and the characters. By turns hilarious and pathetic, we root for them to connect while cringe at their faltering attempts to do so. I can't wait to see this play onstage!
  • /ärt/
    1 Jan. 2020
    /art/ is a wicked, vicious, and hilarious satire about the value (?) of judging a fundamentally subjective concept and the pompous pretension that often goes into it. I can imagine actors having a blast with the acerbic dialogue and wacky stage directions.
  • The Green Book Wine Club Train Trip
    1 Jan. 2020
    A warm, heartfelt, and time-bending journey into the past for an African American woman who is coming to terms with her history, both familial and social. The play builds up to a surprising and moving conclusion that leaves the audience thinking about how we look at the present as well as the past. Also provides juicy roles for African American actresses.
  • Thrasher (10 minute excerpt of OFF THE PALISADES PARKWAY)
    25 Dec. 2019
    A realistic slice-of-life piece that portrays a believable relationship between two best friends. Through Malakhow's intimate and believable dialogue, the audience gets a good sense of where these two teenagers are emotionally, and how the differences in where they are spark a very compelling conflict between them. Well done!
  • Confirmation Bias
    14 Dec. 2019
    A tender slice-of-life piece that lives on the periphery of a significant psychological breakthrough about homosexual men. Malakhow achingly portrays two gay men living in an oppressive society before the Stonewall riots. Both Chuck and David have a simple yet very compelling push-pull dynamic— Not just between each other, but also how they present their sexuality to the world. You definitely want to see where their relationship will go next!

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