Recommended by Scott Sickles

A fun Pflaster outing on the R train in Queens, a/k/a the titular “fugly” train. The piece gives its judgy girls the curse of self awareness, not complete awareness but just enough to question their own manners and appearance. A funny examination of those trapped in superficial prisons (and subway cars) of their own making,

From the Bible to Kierkegaard, when it comes to the story of Abraham and Isaac, everyone always talks about what Abraham went through: his faith, his sacrifice, the mercy God showed *him*. No one ever talks about Isaac‘s experience. What must he have thought? When did he realize? What then did he do?

Barbot tackles these questions through Abraham himself. A profound short about the faith people place in God, the faith children place in their parents, and the hope that the cost of unwavering belief in another is not too great or unrecoverable. Remarkable and indelible.

Deray has a gift for trope-twisting. He takes a familiar scenario, in this case the victim of a supernatural event explaining the paranormal incident to clinical observers, and weaponizes that familiarity to deliver surprises and shocks! A highly effective horror piece, it's both creepy and scary. It would also be great fun to stage!

It left me wanting to know what happens next. Which means it ends perfectly!

IF POSSIBLE, DO NOT READ THE SYNOPSIS FIRST!
Let the play surprise you! I didn’t read the description beyond “SEVEN MINUTE PLAY” and it took me on quite a little ride.
What starts out as a wonderfully fun premise quickly takes a sharp Left turn and floors it! With two terrific elves, each distinctly drawn, and an effective use of Christmas play tropes and the Santa myth make this play (forgive me) a true gift!

If George Bernard Shaw wrote for Freaks and Geeks, it would look exactly like this.

A glorious pre-dance dance of socio-sexual inequality exploring gender norms, disparate social strata, the power of one’s persona, the male ego, and the shit women put up with, MY MARE LADY is deeply hilarious and flat-out wonderful.

A new Eliza and Henry for our age and, perhaps, all time.

Every now and then we need a reminder not to let the negativity of other people get to us, especially when that negativity isn’t just an attitude or aura, but a full frontal assault. Joyous in its symbolism, pratical and theatrical in its staging, and clear in its message, “Antagonism” also provides a touchstone to help shape our lesser impulses whenever we’re engager of being the one who pisses in the pool.

JUST WATCHED THIS at Paragon!
And it was NUTS!!!

A razor sharp satire of gamer culture, social media, and gender bias while being INSANELY funny!!!

Terrifically fun roles for actors and if there's a costume designer you love, produce this as a gift to them!

A total blast!

With bonus William McKinley!

This must be gut-wrenching in performance!
A tour de force for an older female actor as the character wavers between being hyperarticulate to losing her words entirely. Her torment comes in waves, and we are rendered helpless by her frustration, which manifests in brutally physical ways, and hold our collective breath while she tries to make the most of those brief interludes of verbal acuity. Innovative, daring, and altogether heartbreaking.

While technically a pantomime, I prefer calling this piece a(n almost) danceless ballet. A brutally honest yet still optimistic view of love, romance, and timing. Not to mention the power of a good pizza.

Weaver economically covers a tremendous amount of ground in a compressed period of time, giving us well drawn characters and the dimensions relationships that we instantly recognize. You either know these people or you are these people.

Ultimately, the aforementioned optimism is well earned, as both the world of the play and our hopes for Weaver's protagonists break wide open.

Did she ever!

Elegantly composed direct address, interrupted by bleak Mid-American reality and vivid memories, ratchet the tension while diminishing our ever-waning sense of safety. Here, it doesn't matter if you're the outcast, the jock, the hot new girl, or the Grandma; everybody carries wounds deeper than any werewolf could inflict with claws and teeth. In a way, it's about the repercussions of kissing and being kissed by the wrong person. How momentary lacerations leave permanent scars. Some move on. Others pass the pain forward.

Great roles!!! Eminently producable! Frightening, resonant and powerful.