Recommended by Elizabeth A. M. Keel

  • i
    7 Aug. 2022
    This warm and vulnerable four-hander embodies the notion that the only constant is change. As Sarah and Jake find the courage to try again (and again) with each other, we are urged to find similar embers of courage to fan once more within ourselves.
  • Falling Star
    17 Jun. 2022
    Falling Star features a great role for an older teen actor (NB or F). As the next generation inherits a sky cluttered with space debris, Vega's impatient hope to get to work is thwarted by well meaning but ultimately earthbound and micro-focused parents. Clever, near-future sci-fi that delves into autonomy over one's wishes, in both life and death.
  • DIASPORA!
    3 Jun. 2022
    DIASPORA! straddles time, realities, and vast canyons of meaning. In 1952, a black woman and a white man dare to love each other and argue civil cases against Boston's overly brutal police force. In modern day, Sunny is attempting to unravel her mysterious history after the death of her sister, and the near-indoctrination of her niece Janae into a separatist cult. Sunny's roommate, Patrick, is a white man in love with a Korean scientist, John, and they are simultaneously debating whether their relationship can succeed. Rich, delicious, magical, *radiant*, DIASPORA! is a layered treat guaranteed to evoke meaningful conversation.
  • Body + Blood
    3 Jun. 2022
    I'm so glad I was able to witness a reading at the Great Plains Theatre Commons (2022). BODY + BLOOD is a homily unto itself, and one that will follow you out of the room and back into your community. The play delivers a mellifluous ensemble that yearns to answer: How have any of us maintained our faith - in anything, in any form - in this darkening world? (Read it now and find out! *Contains three excellent roles for trans men, in case anyone is seeking particularly suitable material.*)
  • STAINS
    2 Jun. 2022
    It's not often a play makes me full-on belly laugh. Hats off to STAINS and its lead character, Christine, a brilliant but stymied teen girl. There is a radiant, exasperated love *glowing* in the memories playwright Cho has gifted us with, including a mother and grandmother who are instantly unique and universal in equal measure. It takes some mighty, mighty girl guts to be this honest. A+++
  • In the Canyon
    2 Jun. 2022
    Reminiscent of turning up the heat on crabs in a pot, IN THE CANYON is a vividly tense exploration of what happens when we fail to change. The author has crafted a modern tragedy/thriller on the perils of pride, and the harm failed communication can cause to those we love. Not an easy ride, but a potent one.
  • Acetone Wishes and Plexiglass Dreams
    31 May. 2022
    ACETONE WISHES & PLEXIGLASS DREAMS patches up the empty cracks in your heart you didn't know you had sustained. Celina and Inky are one of the freshest romantic pairings I've seen in ages; these are no manic pixie dream lovers, carrying quirks for the sake of a personality. Instead, they are both the now-adult children of a gossiping neighborhood that loves them, and two lineages plagued by ghosts and regrets. There is room for both magic and hope in this tender, human celebration of Korean culture.
  • Rx Machina
    31 May. 2022
    Wholeheartedly agree with all the other recommendations! RX MACHINA shows you the churning underbelly of the cogs of the American medical system, and what they do to the fallible humans who are run through it. The play is keen and incisively honest, imbued with both growth and death, hope and disgust. In other words, if you've spent five minutes in the hospital, either yourself or with a loved one, this play is for you. Features five - 5! - incredibly rich, nuanced female roles.
  • oh to be pure again
    30 May. 2022
    Deliciously visceral, Kira's oh, to be pure again pairs the rapturous highs and hellish lows of teenage girlhood. The play offers up a sweaty, tousled, fervent naiveté, offering us both the eggshells of faith and the abyss of the real world. I laughed, I cried, I questioned God, I walked away longing to weave friendship bracelets for every character. What a kickass exploration of what it means to be alive, human, and not alone.
  • Coco Queens
    30 May. 2022
    Gloria, Chanel, Tammie, and Dawn are reuniting - after an eight year separation - in Gloria's hair salon to mend fences and remember their commitments to each other as one-time friends. Steeped in the steaminess of an Alabama summer in the 70s, the former members of a girl group learn to recognize the woman each of them has become, and to carry their burdens together. Coco Queens is brimming with music, grace, and respect for the women who have clearly influenced the author's life.

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