Recommended by Scott Sickles

The situation is urgent! A child has been taken. It is Sister Constance's mission to help.

And help she does.

The narrative drive starts at full throttle, growing more urgent as the situation with the abduction develops. Wyndham leaves a trail of details, some of which seem momentarily off – an occasional odd or incongruous assumption – that all pay off in a gut punch ending.

This is a gift for an actor. Sister Constance's urgency can be a controlled frenzy of concern, icy efficacy, anything in between. The story remains the same. And it's devastating.

world IS a fuck!

each generation's rebels endure the betrayal of allies forsaking their iconoclasm to vanish within establishment norms they made a point of standing against

the rage here: equally societal and personal, intimate and infinite, elegant and incendiary as its poetry sets fire to the landscape around it

if only it could do that literally

but disappointment and desolation remain unscorched and that void of disdain and despair churns a universe of pain

beautiful in its anguish, eloquent and raw, an enduring snapshot of now

"no pulled punches. no holds barred"

What many people still don't understand is suicidal depression is a physical condition: it's your brain trying to kill you. It lies to you, obfuscates your purpose an, convinces you no one cares then persuades you to disregard the regard of others.

It's a bitch.

Blending historical lore and his protagonist's personal history, Gatton holograms neurological warfare in a deceptively light domestic scenario. The war is waging but the warrior has no weapons. Fortunately, she does have an ally – a poetically envisioned avatar – a life instinct that holds the bitch at bay.

Effervescent, suspenseful, and moving.

In a discussion regarding the question, "must monologues have action?" I posited: not necessarily, but they should have a want: a reason for speaking – essentially, an objective – even to themselves or the audience. What do they *need* us to know?

FALLOWEEN's speaker needs to share something they love... to immerse the listener in the joys of autumn because it's a sin to withhold such joy. O, to listen to a kindred spirit who knows naysayers are wrong about candy corn, to delight in jacket weather, and cool fall aromas, and pumpkin guts!

The need is clear.

I'VE BEEN SOUCY'D!!!!!

It's a beautiful nightmare come true!
And is there any Asian American nightmare greater than a vision of achievement denied?

REJECTION LETTER's just-a-touch-larger-than-life 50s-era sitcom dad is a perfect intermediary between Miskatonic's warmly formal epistle of inadmittance and my fragilely optimistic namesake suddenly more vulnerable despite being in a supportive presence.

The tone is pitch-perfect, like a demon and its human prey merrily harmonizing as one devours the other, subtly examining the place of non-white non-straight people in a world that celebrates evil as it slowly considers tolerance. Even at home, progress is provisional.

Bravo!

A supremely entertaining comedy of manners with four men at urinals examining constructs of masculinity: the role it plays on the political spectrum; the difference between toxic and nontoxic attitudes, speech and behavior; emotional, psychological, and medical reasons for bladder shyness; and of course dick size. WHO KNEW IT WAS EVEN POSSIBLE???

Apparently, Arthur Jolly did!

The dialogue flows like an allegro comic concerto as common ground and conflicts abound. The men are beautifully individuated, sublimely rhythmic and stylized, yet never too archetypal. The narrative is perfectly structured.

Seriously, dissertations could and should be written about GENTLEMEN.

Goddamn, this play is funny!

Kudos, first, for immediately describing Aiden as “an open-minded Christian”! They exist!

Aiden is serious boyfriend material. Sure, he’s kept one little extremely important thing from his allergic-to-bullshit atheist girlfriend, but sometimes it’s better to ask for forgiveness than inviting a definite “no!” Isn’t forgiveness something both holy and heathen can agree upon!

The play offers no guarantees! Find out yourself!

COMMANDMENTS is a laugh out loud page-turner with a couple you'll want to throuple with... if only to shock his parents! (They really don't seem that bad...)

If you’ve ever lost a pet, you’ll know this pain.
If you’re lucky, you’ll know this grace.

A simply lovely farewell, spoken too late to be heard by ears floppy or pointy, but most assuredly received by the eternally loyal canine soul.

Concise in its inventory of gratitudes, economic in its expression, and heartfelt in its power. We all want to give our pups one last scratch behind those ears, wince one more time as they lick our faces unbidden, have one more cuddle and glance into those eyes that love without conditions. Sublime.

No one can push our buttons like a sibling.
Or pull our strings…

This deceptively breezy chat between two sisters - one innocent and optimistic, the other experienced and narcissistic – is gently foreboding from the start and gets darker underneath as the conversation turns more sisterly.

The post-war period and Louisiana setting serve the piece well, providing tons of atmosphere. The clash of attitudes and ambition subtly inform their identities and expectations.

For these sisters, the future is one thing, the past is full of bruises and denials, and tomorrow afternoon is going to be rough.

"It’s the school. If it wants you... it wants you."

I've got to say, when it comes to Miskatonic University, resistance is futile.

DORMMATES is a riveting opening salvo to this fresh series of entries into the SPOOKY U canon. The characters are introduced to us organically, humorously, and with a remarkable balance of unconscious yet open racism, camaraderie, and underlying horror.

Soucy is building an annex to a world (two actually: Lovecraft's and his own previous version) beyond dark comic vignettes. We are embarking on a journey here.

It's going to be a helluva ride.