Recommended by Dave Osmundsen

  • Dave Osmundsen: Jump

    A funny, heart-wrenching, and gorgeously written play about grief and depression. The central character and her relationships with the people and the world around her are fascinating. The final third of the play is the biggest gut-punch I've had reading a play in quite a while, but it concludes on a tender and hopeful note. In addition to having a powerful story and well-drawn characters, the play is stupendously theatrical from page one. I hope to see a production of this play soon!

    A funny, heart-wrenching, and gorgeously written play about grief and depression. The central character and her relationships with the people and the world around her are fascinating. The final third of the play is the biggest gut-punch I've had reading a play in quite a while, but it concludes on a tender and hopeful note. In addition to having a powerful story and well-drawn characters, the play is stupendously theatrical from page one. I hope to see a production of this play soon!

  • Dave Osmundsen: Go Ask D'Alice

    I love plays that surprise me, and this ten-minute play had more surprises in it than many full-lengths I see/read. At first, the story is hilarious and just the slightest bit terrifying. You think it's going in one direction, but then it veers into the hilariously unexpected. But by the end, you get to know both of these characters on a deeply personal level, and genuinely feel for them. Funny, surprising, and poignant, this is a wonderful one-act for two strong actresses.

    I love plays that surprise me, and this ten-minute play had more surprises in it than many full-lengths I see/read. At first, the story is hilarious and just the slightest bit terrifying. You think it's going in one direction, but then it veers into the hilariously unexpected. But by the end, you get to know both of these characters on a deeply personal level, and genuinely feel for them. Funny, surprising, and poignant, this is a wonderful one-act for two strong actresses.

  • A young woman feeds her boyfriend some less-than-savory food and drink, which he manages to tolerate... but there’s a twist that I don’t dare spoil! In addition to well-drawn characters and zippy dialogue, this play is a surprisingly poignant piece about the role of honesty in courtship. A thoroughly delightful, highly amusing, and very sweet one-act play.

    A young woman feeds her boyfriend some less-than-savory food and drink, which he manages to tolerate... but there’s a twist that I don’t dare spoil! In addition to well-drawn characters and zippy dialogue, this play is a surprisingly poignant piece about the role of honesty in courtship. A thoroughly delightful, highly amusing, and very sweet one-act play.

  • Dave Osmundsen: El Loro, El Gato y El Espiritu Santo (or The Parrot, the Cat and the Holy Ghost)

    I saw a reading of this play as part of the Midwest Dramatists Conference. Hilarious, outrageous, and delightful from start to finish, with strong dialogue and meaty roles for the actresses. I was enchanted from start to finish.

    I saw a reading of this play as part of the Midwest Dramatists Conference. Hilarious, outrageous, and delightful from start to finish, with strong dialogue and meaty roles for the actresses. I was enchanted from start to finish.

  • Dave Osmundsen: Hocking Murray

    A wildly clever and funny, yet deeply philosophical and thought-provoking comedy. The writing is crisp and sharp, and the plotting is well-paced and surprising.

    A wildly clever and funny, yet deeply philosophical and thought-provoking comedy. The writing is crisp and sharp, and the plotting is well-paced and surprising.

  • Dave Osmundsen: Route 84 House Fire: Three Miles from Train Tracks, Nine From a Hydrant

    Mysterious, haunting, and intriguing. When I saw it at the Midwest Dramatists Conference, the audience was enraptured, holding their breath until the final shocking line of the play.

    Mysterious, haunting, and intriguing. When I saw it at the Midwest Dramatists Conference, the audience was enraptured, holding their breath until the final shocking line of the play.

  • Dave Osmundsen: Scared of the Dark

    A quietly devastating two-hander. We've seen the tropes depicted here before, but Seidel draws them in such a unique, specific, and very real manner that it feels like you're seeing them for the first time. Beautifully done.

    A quietly devastating two-hander. We've seen the tropes depicted here before, but Seidel draws them in such a unique, specific, and very real manner that it feels like you're seeing them for the first time. Beautifully done.

  • Dave Osmundsen: A Moment of Clarity

    A gorgeously written, concise, and moving depiction of a father/son relationship. The dialogue is spot-on, the characters feel fleshed out and real, and the story is powerfully resonant. In only ten minutes, I was captivated, moved, and felt as if I had experienced a full-length play.

    A gorgeously written, concise, and moving depiction of a father/son relationship. The dialogue is spot-on, the characters feel fleshed out and real, and the story is powerfully resonant. In only ten minutes, I was captivated, moved, and felt as if I had experienced a full-length play.