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Scott Sickles

Recommended by Scott Sickles

  • I Know Kung Fu by Christopher Soucy
    19 Jul. 2022
    “ As a multiracial Korean American who was forced to take Taekwon-Do from the ages of 8 to around 16, I thought I knew what I was in for with this monologue. Not even close! Which was a happy surprise.

    Soucy’s story is not entirely a happy one, and I related to the bullying and the sense of unbelonging. But there’s a strong sense of heritage and community here, even though that community is, in this story, quite small. In this nucleus of dignity, powerful lessons are learned and kept. I feel like I learned them as well. ”
  • The First by Debra A. Cole
    19 Jul. 2022
    “ God, I hope this is not a memoir!

    What the speaker learns at a very young age is both deeply sad and absolutely useful knowledge for later.

    Equal parts nostalgia and poison, this glorious memory piece evokes a bygone era of innocent games where we pretend to be grown-ups… and then start acting like them. There’s an underlying resilience in her voice and the last line is a kicker. ”
  • THE PANTHEON WARS: LOVE LIFE by Monica Cross
    19 Jul. 2022
    “ Aphrodite and Venus are SO ARCH their names may as well be Gothic and Romanesque! (And ultimately, saucy their names may as well be Tzatziki and Arabbiata!)

    I love Cross’s THE PANTHEON WARS and I don’t know how this one escaped me for so long. Escape happens to a major theme here. Will they or won’t they? Who’s trapping whom? I wasn’t sure where this was going to go but it’s one page, so I didn’t have to wait long for it to arrive at its delicious conclusion!

    WHAT WILL HAPPEN NEXT??? ”
  • The Springboard, or: What a Play Is or Can Be or Will Be, or: a Thank-You Note to Matthew Weaver by Steven G. Martin
    18 Jul. 2022
    “ A Vocal Few: Get a room, why don’t you?

    Narrator: They did not get a room.

    AVF: They surrender! We win!

    Narrator: Instead, Steve and Mathew got two rooms.

    AVF: Two rooms? We’ve separated them! Success!!!

    Narrator: Two theaters, in fact.

    AVF: What?!? Why?!? Still not sexy…

    Narrator: Theaters connected by their minds and souls, where they could celebrate and inspire one another as playwrights and friends.

    AVF: Boring! Pretentious! I hate this form of direct address.

    Narrator: It was a perfect birthday gift-

    AVF: SCHMALTZ!!!

    Narrator: Worthy of Scott Sickles’s 1000th Recommendation.

    AVF: Who?

    FIN
    ”
  • The Cup (one-minute play) by Matthew Weaver
    18 Jul. 2022
    “ One-minute plays are essentially snapshots. Their job is to capture a moment. Weaver’s moment is lovely. Father/son bonding can be tricky with expectations of masculinity and strength. Here there is support and understanding, with just enough of an intergenerational difference in attitude to keep it real – a sorting of emotional honesty in the eye of an ephemeral distraction. Heartfelt without being schmaltzy, and resonantly elegant. In sixty seconds. ”
  • Sexual Politics in the Worst Place by John Busser
    18 Jul. 2022
    “ Be it laughably large lovers or evil overlords and their henchfolk, when snapping turtle of spoofery John Busser clamps down on a movie trope, he does not let go!

    This time, Busser sends up the Masked Slasher and his Slutty Victims! It’s great to see these archetypal teens throw each other under the bus (or into the blade) with gloriously artless shaming. You need a scorecard to keep up like the killer needs an extension cord! The confrontation between predator and prey is priceless, and the ending is a scream! ”
  • The Coin by Dan Taube
    18 Jul. 2022
    “ Men. Amirite? Regardless of socioeconomic status, the presence or absence of love, one’s education or opportunities, society does not teach men what to do with their rage. So they improvise.

    Taube’s tight, intense experimental piece has the grim atmosphere of Kafka and the streetwise brutality of Scorsese. The play is a gift for male-identifying actors, especially one who is small but tough, not to mention directors, lighting and sound designers, and fight choreographers. It would be a helluva thing to see staged. Visceral, raw, and deceptively sophisticated on many levels. ”
  • CHOMP by DC Cathro
    18 Jul. 2022
    “ How many of us have had to have this exact conversation?!? [I know you’re out there and I know why you can’t say… ;-)]

    Every couple keeps secrets in each member of a couple has a secret to keep. Sometimes, outside influences bring these out into the open. Even if you figure out what Tammi’s issue is, there are plenty of surprises in store. Cathro’s twosome possesses buoyant charm and a sexy sweetness. We root for them throughout and the payoff is perfect. YUH-HUH! ”
  • The Wedding Recessional I Imagine My Parents Had in 1971 (2 minutes) by Marcia Eppich-Harris
    15 Jul. 2022
    “ In my parents’ wedding photo, my father looks like he hit the jackpot and my mother… does not.

    This is not so different.

    Eppich-Harris’s opening scene from a marriage is swift, sharp, potent and powerful. The disparity of affection could not be clearer… unless you’re the groom. The reasons for this union are likewise vivid and a full, rich history is economically and effectively established. The characters extremely playable. One can’t help but worry and hope for these two fictional representations of real-life parents. ”
  • Tunnel Vision by Scott Cantrell
    13 Jul. 2022
    “ a haunting piece. Because the Hermit’s faculties clearly aren’t what they used to be, and might not have been great to begin with, we are bequeathed questions about the mystery laid before us. He’s young, 20s-30s, yet it seems as though he entered this environment as a child… and stayed there.

    Regardless, we are face to face with a missing person. One who is simultaneously exactly where he wants to be and hopeless trapped.

    A fascinating character study. The exploration of the character during rehearsal would be as labyrinthine as his city’s abandoned underbelly. ”

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