Recommended by Scott Sickles

Does Cal really see and hear Dayton or is this just wishful hallucinating? Given what’s at stake, does it matter? Frandsen paints a portrait of love in impossible circumstances, with great heart and truthful wit.

At no point does this short version of a longer play feel like an excerpt or at all incomplete. In fact, the lack of expositional dialogue is one of its great strengths. Frandsen puts us right in the middle of the situation at a perfect starting point. The characters and relationships are fully defined and their love for one another is clear.

Everybody hears about the harassment women experience online, especially in gaming. I don’t think I know a female-identifying blogger or gamer that has not received death threats, rape threats, dick pics, etc. in the THOUSANDS. But hearing about it isn’t the same as experiencing it.

Heyman puts his protagonist in the thick of it. The monologue is an assessment of the experience in its aftermath. The most powerful point Mike makes is… he could stop. He could leave! For women (and I use the most inclusive definition) being yourself online has a high price on the soul.

This takes me back.

As a closeted queer kid, different bullies tormented me for different reasons - more reasons than there were bullies. So, I get Joe, under imminent threat of brutality that he can’t be bothered with because more important things are happening.

Smith inspires us to reflect on our tormentors, examine their motives. Why were we their focus? What were they not able to say?

Josh has just as much going on and as complicated a heart. It doesn’t excuse the bullying but rather provides deeper context, exposing the nature of connection and unity overcoming pain.

Like a rich chocolate bonbon with a salty nut center, this is a perfect confection of cynicism and romance.

Martineau criticizes (or has his characters criticize) the oft-complained-about abject commercialism and bad greeting card pseudopoetry of V-Day through fresh, fun banter between two beautifully grounded characters. One might wish you knew these people or maybe even were these people.

A Valentine’s gift for actors and festivals, holiday-themed or otherwise.

Perfect. Just perfect.

I can’t wait to see how the opening image (a/k/a the set) is staged. There are so many design possibilities!

But the play, much the the conversation between the characters, addresses massive themes and questions – about life, the world, love, death, and what’s worth what – with a beautiful (and seethingly enviable) simplicity.

It’s an indictment of extremism and a romantic anti-tragedy all in one, telling hard beautiful truths.

I wish I had written it.

I went on a ghost tour once and it was utterly fabulous! Our guide in particular was a phenomenal storyteller and the histories were fascinating.

So when our heroes in this play have a substandard experience, my heart goes out to them. But of course, there's a reason the tour guide is bad at his job... a very good reason...

You may see the ending coming. You may not. Either way, you're in for a great ride. Jones masterfully builds suspense, creating a vivid carnival atmosphere and clearly drawn characters. The payoff is gorgeous.

If it hadn’t already won me over with ORATIUS VACUOUS, it would have sealed my love at NARCOLEPTIS! And that’s just in the Cast of Characters!

It’s every gladiator epic on laughing gas! The jokes are fast, the puns are terrible, and the melodrama escalates with vim! A sweet effervescent tonic that would give any festival comic relief or a crowd pleasing finale! An imperial thumbs-up!

You can practically see the Norman Rockwell color palette. Underneath its jovial tone, a father and son have a serious conversation about friendship, masculinity, and public perception. Baker takes us on an unpredictable journey through territory as familiar today as it was then. The characterizations and dynamics are both timeless and fresh, giving actors a lot to work with. A gently powerful piece.

The funny thing about Destiny is it doesn't have to be specific. Instead of being riddled with details of trappings or traps, all it needs to decide is if your journey ends in paradise or wreckage. Or in this case, consumed by the black hole or basking in the dawn beyond.

Gonzales as ever finds poetry in brutality, in boxing and life. The characters are beautifully drawn. Destiny conspires with physics, turning the atoms of their dreams into universe’s playthings. We see all possibilities. But the outcome, like the subtitular black hole, may be inescapable.

It’s bad enough when people know they’re growing apart. It’s worse when they’re not and it makes no difference. Be it destiny or duty, when two hearts can’t possibly grow fonder, what is absence to do?

Blevins takes the kinship between Prince Hal and rapscallion bestie Ned Poins to an extremely possible romantic conclusion. If this is who they were to each other, what would have changed? Would anything?

Even if you’re not familiar with or haven’t experienced these characters in a while, this play’s heart holds tight like a farewell embrace.