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Steven G. Martin

Recommended by Steven G. Martin

  • Help *Monologue* by Jacquelyn Floyd-Priskorn
    11 Aug. 2021
    “ If I were to watch this monologue performed, I would be bawling after the first sentence. Chip's story may be fictional, but this monologue is complete truth. We're seeing, perhaps, the beginning of the end of Chip.

    Jacquelyn Floyd-Priskorn creates a character whose biggest conflict is with himself. He thinks of himself as selfish, probably also as lazy and unintelligent because of his reaction to being his father's caretaker.

    Chip's tension, depression, tiredness in "Help" are absolutely right on. Floyd-Priskorn's monologue is jarring. ”
  • It is I, Seagull (a Monologue) by Lee R. Lawing
    7 Aug. 2021
    “ "But look what that love has done for me."

    That line is exactly what makes Lee R. Lawing's monologue "It is I, Seagull" captivating. Yes, the craft of conducting research on an historic event and personality are top notch. But Lawing goes further by giving Valentina Tereshkova the opportunity to daydream, to hope, to express joy that is so personal and perhaps beyond what we knew about Tereshkova before.

    I loved watching Back Porch Theatre's performance of "It is I, Seagull." I'd love to see it in performance again. ”
  • Call Center, Morning & Evening by Nicole Cox
    7 Aug. 2021
    “ A very funny premise that I'd like to see more of.

    Nicole Cox's "Call Center, Morning & Evening" goes beyond just its premise though. There's a nice build of banter between the characters, some surprising twists, and a fine button to the end. ”
  • Spokane Beauty (a one-minute play) by Matthew Weaver
    7 Aug. 2021
    “ It's a miracle to find a play that expands our understanding of what a can be accomplished in a particular genre -- in this case, the 1-minute play.

    Matthew Weaver deeply imbues "Spokane Beauty" with micro dramas and comedies, personal victories and defeats. This play is refreshing, it thumbs its nose at the so-called rules of short plays, it energizes. I'd watch this on stage many times in joy. ”
  • Some Game by Adam Richter
    7 Aug. 2021
    “ A direct, spare story with a definitive point of view.

    Adam Richter's one-minute drama "Some Game" feels uncomplicated but it leaves me with more (good) questions at the end, especially about Hiram's history and how Jordan will be affected by considering another person's perspective.

    Simple, thoughtful, direct, decisive. I like this play a lot. ”
  • Fracture (a monologue) by Scott Sickles
    3 Aug. 2021
    “ This is an intimate monologue. It's almost too much, except for Scott Sickles' skill.

    Subtle choices by Sickles will pull in a reader, an audience: choice of protagonist, choice of protagonist action. Sickles also provides enough hints to backstory and history in "Fracture," but leaves some mystery behind just to make sure this monologue doesn't pass too easily.

    There's just enough friction created by the mystery and additional intimacy in the direct language to make "Fracture" come alive while reading and no doubt come alive in performance. ”
  • Duffel Bag (monologue) by Christian St. Croix
    25 Jul. 2021
    “ Christian St. Croix dramatizes a very real truth in a theatrical, engaging way with "Duffel Bag." We lose things -- big and small -- as we grow older, even when they're the last connections we may have to a person or place that has meant a lot to us.

    I love how St. Croix creates Brian's dual voice as the subject of a memory and the reflections of the person trying to remember. It is engrossing to read the back-and-forth of the two perspectives on the page, and it would be even better when shown on stage. ”
  • sixty ton angel falls to the earth by Dominica Plummer
    24 Jul. 2021
    “ Dominica Plummer has created a successful update of the morality play, centering this 10-minute satire around the concepts of just versus unjust, nebulous logic versus absolute fact in the death of Donald Rumsfeld and his interview with the Grim Reaper.

    "sixty ton angel falls to the earth" has two wonderful roles; Plummer creates an impasse between the most self-assured yet sinuously negotiating mortal and Death, who seems slightly flustered. There's also comedy -- including wordplay that would make Nixon grimace -- and a strong nod to the tradition of the medieval morality play. ”
  • Imperfect Storms by Scott Sickles
    20 Jul. 2021
    “ This 10-minute play tells a heart-rending tale of a loving couple whose love isn't enough to overcome unusual obstacles.

    Scott Sickles brings so much complexity to "Imperfect Storms": real-life current events (the July 2021 floods in Europe); Belgian mythology/fantasy; a same-sex loving couple whose most biggest challenge isn't that they're both the same sex; a lot of design and production values ... but at its core is the story: two individuals who are so right for one another, but have to separate.

    There is adventure and fantasy, but I especially found heartache in this terrific short play. ”
  • Lang by DC Cathro
    19 Jul. 2021
    “ This is a wonderful example of an historic play in which the historic, tumultuous event -- in this case, the rise of Hitler as Chancellor of the Third Reich in Germany -- is shown by its effects on others, in this case, filmmaker Fritz Lang ("M," "Metropolis"). I enjoy those kinds of historic plays, those that shine a light on the everyday.

    DC Cathro's tremendous skill with dialogue and character are on stark display in "Lang" -- which also feels noir-ish in atmosphere. This is a rich, strong 10-minute drama with a lot going to its credit. ”

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