Recommended by Lizz Mangan

My laughter turned into tears during this incredibly fast paced and creepy spin on nostalgic Scooby Doo tropes. This play is filled with tender friendship, queer love, explorations of trauma and an ambiguity of memory that leave you wishing you could go beyond the last words of the script. For lack of a better pun, this play is a banger.

Queer, sexy, horrifying (but like, in a horny way) and all around masterful, SMJ has crafted an ominous narrative that totally blows up how terrifyingly powerful our digital world has become, with the added bonus of some good old fashioned cult mentality.

I've been in love with this play ever since hearing an early draft back in 2018. Since then, SMJ has continued to craft an exceptional and out-of-this-world (literally) narrative that takes the seemingly every-day occurence of a childhood favorite show getting rebooted, and completely turns it on it's head. With friendship, romance, and action that is queer to the core of its exploration, this play will make you fall in love with the women you meet, and will take you on an unforgettable journey.

This pay is gross, vile, and uncomfortable. And it is an experience you will not want to leave, even after you are yelled at to do so in the end. With poetry and a queerness, this play showcases love in the face of trauma. Ann goes through a transformation that seems un-achievable within the 90 minutes of the play. Nevertheless, Emma brings her through one of the best journeys of a character I'v read in recent memory. Read this play, get lost in the jungle, and mourn the loss of innocence along with K and Ann.

Keeping the poetry prevalent in all of Emma's work, this play takes on a subject and world which doesn't always receive the attention deserved. Showcasing how war weaponizes women's bodies, Emma shows violence and love in the form of a woman who is finding herself within the context of a world torn.

(please note the following is a joke and you ABSOLUTELY SHOULD read this play)

Do not read this play if you cherish the love of Anzor and Teddy. Do not read this play if you don't want to find yourself contemplating the meaning of existence and the inevitable end of the, well, known universe. Do not read this play if you don't want to come away feeling a hole within your being. This is some of Scott's best and most heartbreaking work, and an intense and thoughtful end to his trilogy. You won't be the same post read.

I had the insanely amazing privilege to work with Scott as a dramaturg for this play at Portland Stage. To say that this play makes you feel seen is an understatement. The characters are whole and beautiful, the scenario poignant and real, and the emotions you take away will impact you forever. If you ever felt like an outsider as a child, read this play, and find a home within the depths of the love present.