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Steven G. Martin

Recommended by Steven G. Martin

  • She's Totally Killing It by Kullen Burnet
    3 Jul. 2021
    “ This is a very dark, very funny, and very smart short play.

    Kullen Burnet knows the clichés of summer camp horror movies and sidesteps them in "She's Totally Killing It." When even the characters are tired of clichés, it's time to move on from them and Burnet does just that.

    And the ending is perfect: scary and liberating all in one moment of action. ”
  • Very Important Choices by Kaushik Mukerjee
    3 Jul. 2021
    “ This one-to-two-minute play is a bright, light and comic jaunt. From its tongue-in-cheek title to the button, it's pure fun (and oh it will make a person hungry). The dialogue feels quick and banter-like with its back-and-forth quality, and the story ends with a perfect comic line.

    Kaushik Mukerjee shows there's inherit conflict in even the most everyday situations. By paring down those everyday situations to the dramatic essentials, Mukerjee makes "Very Important Choices" a good, funny play. ”
  • Suha vs. Gods of the Underworld by Nicholas Michael Bashour
    28 Jun. 2021
    “ This ten-minute drama incorporates Sumerian mythology to examine the multitude of pain mortal parents feel upon the death of their child.

    It made me feel warm-hearted that Suha, Nicholas Michael Bashour's protagonist, feels like so many of us when a loved one dies -- desperate to return the loved one to life. But, as in life, "Suha vs. Gods of the Underworld" shows the impossibility of such desire.

    There is much to enjoy in this short play, the setting and the depth of the characters, especially, and the knowledge Ereshkigal imparts. Ultimately bittersweet, absolutely a must for production. ”
  • Two Cats Explain the Monstrous Moth Group by Ian Thal
    28 Jun. 2021
    “ Cats are the superior species on Earth. This 10-minute comedy proves why.

    Ian Thal's ability to create characters is astounding in "Two Cats Explain the Monstrous Moth Group." Their voices, knowledge, attitudes are varied and clear; language, life experience, and logic leap to the forefront of these characterizations.

    Additionally, Thal gifts actors with plenty of comic action throughout the play, showcasing cats' physical superiority to mankind -- and creating more than a few laughs from the audience.

    "Two Cats Explain the Monstrous Moth Group" is silly on its surface, yet sublime with the details Thal has created. ”
  • Order for Vicky by Keyanna Khatiblou
    28 Jun. 2021
    “ Claire has been pushed to the edge in this 10-minute play, and she refuses to move another inch.

    I love that Keyanna Khatiblou gifts Claire with a strong, healthy, and resilient response to the crap she has taken in her romantic life. I love that Claire is aware of her intensity and slight craziness. I love even more that Khatiblou clearly shares Claire's history; an audience will realize her growth and feel sympathy for all she has gone through.

    "Order for Vicky" has comedic and dramatic moments, but I appreciate most its command to Claire to stand tall. ”
  • Family Holiday by DC Cathro
    28 Jun. 2021
    “ This full-length, furiously paced farce is a twist the boring trope of "a very special holiday show" in which a character tearfully and melodramatically comes out of the closet as LGBTQIA+.

    DC Cathro upends that cliché with "Family Holiday" -- a door-slamming, private-revelation farce that builds and builds to the point that audiences may wonder how Cathro is going to improve upon what came before. And oh boy, does he!

    It's all in the characters: Cathro provides each with different voices, experiences, and responses to their own truths. Laugh-out-loud funny. ”
  • Rule Against Perpetuities by Jonathan O'Neill
    26 Jun. 2021
    “ Give Jonathan O'Neill a lot of credit -- he dramatized an historic event but only as the springboard for an unexpected, emotional adventure.

    Also credit O'Neill that the emotions involving a young boy and his father aren't all positive and pleasant. There is a strong feeling that life lessons are being learned in "Rule Against Perpetuities," and those life lessons can hurt.

    Psychologically affecting, strange and understated, epic yet intimate. I'd love to see how O'Neill's "impossible-to-stage adventure" would come to life in the hands of a talented production team. ”
  • The Jinx by Dominica Plummer
    26 Jun. 2021
    “ Sports aficionados are called fanatics for a reason.

    Dominica Plummer's short comedy, as noted in other recommendations, features easygoing, natural, bantering dialogue between friends. It also features obsessed characters who are ready for any explanations as to why their favorite team wins or not. And on top is a genius ending that will make audiences laugh.

    "The Jinx" would be a terrific entry for any short play festivals, especially those about sports. ”
  • Surprise (a ten minute play) by Mark Harvey Levine
    26 Jun. 2021
    “ There are several reasons this very funny short comedy has been produced worldwide since 2000: terrific timing not only on verbal jokes but also visual ones, a central premise that skews from the expected to the ridiculous, and at its core a situation that a lot of people can relate to -- the breakup of a relationship. And the sweet ending is well deserved.

    Mark Harvey Levine delivers an absolutely beautiful script for theaters at all levels -- high school, college, community, professional -- to produce. "Surprise" is outstanding for performers, directors, and audiences. ”
  • The Elephant in the Room by Conrad A. Panganiban
    25 Jun. 2021
    “ Wit and charm course through this one-minute play from its opening image and beat.

    Conrad A. Panganiban adds another level, however, with his reveal at the end. "The Elephant in the Room" is ultimately a bittersweet romance. It's a play audiences will feel deeply for. ”

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