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Scott Sickles

Recommended by Scott Sickles

  • Fork and Spoon (from the THE WRINKLE RANCH AND OTHER PLAYS ABOUT GROWING OLD collection) by Debra A. Cole
    17 Jun. 2022
    “ Oh the groaners!!! The bad/dad jokes remind me of a surrogate father of mine. Even awful humor can bridge a gap, especially if it’s top-tier terrible! Cole has given us a simple moment of connection, elevated it with excellent character choices, and takes us exactly where we need to go: toward pancakes with a pal! ”
  • Angel Flight by Joe Swenson
    16 Jun. 2022
    “ Understated yet powerful, this is an unsentimental meditation on grief and a beautifully observed look at how the military handles death and family.

    The two lead roles are uncompromising in that Swenson doesn’t force us to like or sympathize with them. Rather, he trusts both his characters and his audience to go along the journey with them. The smaller roles have substance as well, leading gravity to an emotional crisis in the air.

    Moving, cathartic, and surprising. ”
  • The Gentlest Touch (from 1 minute shorts) by David Patton
    14 Jun. 2022
    “ When one's "life flashes before their eyes" it's called a highlight reel. Here Patton shares a highlight reel in progress, a live story in blank verse, that ends with a kind of footnote (or endnote) that serves as a natural sweetener to the memories. Lovely. ”
  • My Longed for Rhythm (from 1 minute shorts) by David Patton
    14 Jun. 2022
    “ Leave it to Dave Patton to make nostalgia so noisy! Here he turns a working class urban cacophony into a symphony of aural memory. Beautiful! ”
  • I’LL TAKE YOU WHERE THE IRON CROSSES GROW (from 1 minute shorts) by David Patton
    14 Jun. 2022
    “ The root of "backstory" is still "story." The events leading up to the inciting incident are still events. Adventures often begin as another smaller adventure (often an education) ends.

    Patton shows us the birth of a firefighter by detailing their gestation from civilian to first responder. Rather than taking a documentation approach, he gives this one minute monologue unique details and a personal texture, right up until the ending... when the bigger adventure begins! ”
  • CONVERSATION THAT NEVER HAPPENS IN 99.9% OF NEWSROOMS
 by Adam Richter
    13 Jun. 2022
    “ I hope Bob Woodward reads this.

    And I hope I get to see it, with the pauses




    fully




    honored.

    In one page, Richter joyously skewers the state of The Fourth Estate. A stinger and a zinger that would do any one-minute play festival proud! ”
  • COLLEEN'S OUTER DEMON by Adam Richter
    11 Jun. 2022
    “ Laugh out loud funny send up of Death (the summoner), doubt (who has brought friends), and pseudo-suburbia! The banter is beautifully strategic, Colleen is just the right kind of plucky, and the demons, outer and inner, are wonderfully colorful creations! (One demon in particular is especially unforgettable!) A delectable confection, perfect for Halloween but good year round!

    Content warning: PUPPETS! ”
  • GUILTY by Monica Cross
    11 Jun. 2022
    “ Shame on you, Monica Cross! SHAME! (Clang!) SHAME! (Clang!) SHAME!

    First, you trigger me with desperate dieting trickery and food pushing and taunting and THEN…

    Well…

    YOU KNOW WHAT YOU DID!!!

    I encourage everyone to give this a read and bear witness to Monica’s wickedness!!! And not just HER wickedness but also…

    I’ve said too much.

    Just look! LOOK!!! LOOOOOK!!!!!

    (You might want to read this AFTER you’ve eaten. It helps to be full.) ”
  • Daddy's Safe by Christopher Plumridge
    11 Jun. 2022
    “ It’s as though Alfred Hitchcock wrote a children’s story, though the “she” in question is not a little one (though I think it would still work). Plumridge has fashioned a pitch black suspense comedy pushing the boundaries of his thief’s patience and his hostage’s vocal chords. Any potential Scream Queen itching to show off her funny chops should love this! The thief is also a treat (I couldn’t help but picture Michael Caine or by contrast James Mason) as his strategies and manners work against him. Deliciously sinister and an utter delight! ”
  • Coffee House Boos by Jacquelyn Floyd-Priskorn
    8 Jun. 2022
    “ Good investigative journalism requires integrity, solid leads, reliable sources, and a budget.

    This play is not about good investigative journalism.

    It's about reality television, dissecting the supernatural, staging the supernatural unconvincingly and fixing it in post, questionable online information, deeply wrongheaded assumptions, and coffee. For the characters, it's a mess! For the audience, it's a frothy, creamy, high-octane cappuccino that's just the right amount of bitter and the perfect touch of sweet!

    Drink it in and enjoy the rush!

    ”

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