Recommended by Bethany Dickens Assaf

  •

    Easily one of the most gripping and well-crafted short plays I've had the pleasure to read! The theatrical device Levine utilizes is arresting and incredibly clever, with a twist that somehow manages to feel like a gut punch and also totally inevitable. I'm grateful to Levine for allowing my playwriting group to read this as an example of a short play, and the entire group laughed and gasped the entire way through.

    Easily one of the most gripping and well-crafted short plays I've had the pleasure to read! The theatrical device Levine utilizes is arresting and incredibly clever, with a twist that somehow manages to feel like a gut punch and also totally inevitable. I'm grateful to Levine for allowing my playwriting group to read this as an example of a short play, and the entire group laughed and gasped the entire way through.

  •

    There is so much going on in this play that is fascinating to me. Dina/Elliot represents so much about how our imaginations and creativity can help us process difficult topics - death, gender, sexuality - both as children and adults. That theme is beautifully nuanced and woven authentically throughout. I also appreciated the characters’ balance of wisdom and innocence, which rang true and was wonderful to experience. The dialogue is tack-sharp, terrific pacing.

    There is so much going on in this play that is fascinating to me. Dina/Elliot represents so much about how our imaginations and creativity can help us process difficult topics - death, gender, sexuality - both as children and adults. That theme is beautifully nuanced and woven authentically throughout. I also appreciated the characters’ balance of wisdom and innocence, which rang true and was wonderful to experience. The dialogue is tack-sharp, terrific pacing.

  •

    I’m so grateful this play exists - it spoke deeply to me personally and is filled with such shattering beauty. All three characters are incredibly rich, containing full worlds. Their pasts are fully realized and deeply expressed without detracting from a compelling, well-motivated story in the present. Florida itself is drawn with equal depth and care. I cannot express the beauty of the end of the penultimate scene and everything it represents. A tour de force of characterization!

    I’m so grateful this play exists - it spoke deeply to me personally and is filled with such shattering beauty. All three characters are incredibly rich, containing full worlds. Their pasts are fully realized and deeply expressed without detracting from a compelling, well-motivated story in the present. Florida itself is drawn with equal depth and care. I cannot express the beauty of the end of the penultimate scene and everything it represents. A tour de force of characterization!

  •

    A clever gem of a short play! I loved the ultra-specific Star Trek references that will delight fans and the less-initiated alike. Sharp humor with a very fun and unexpected premise that packs a lot of visual humor.

    A clever gem of a short play! I loved the ultra-specific Star Trek references that will delight fans and the less-initiated alike. Sharp humor with a very fun and unexpected premise that packs a lot of visual humor.

  •

    This is a deeply layered, character-driven work with so much to recommend it. From the first scene, the tension and pacing is terrific as characters grow deeper and plot reveals unfold - always logical and filled with emotional honestly. I thought the structure was perfect and applaud the playwright for avoiding easy or simplistic answers to a myriad of complex questions on race, gender, addiction, and loss.

    This is a deeply layered, character-driven work with so much to recommend it. From the first scene, the tension and pacing is terrific as characters grow deeper and plot reveals unfold - always logical and filled with emotional honestly. I thought the structure was perfect and applaud the playwright for avoiding easy or simplistic answers to a myriad of complex questions on race, gender, addiction, and loss.

  • Bethany Dickens Assaf: Queen of the Sky by Scott Browning
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    I absolutely adore the characters in this piece- immensely lovable with rich and layered histories that add nice flashes of tension, warmth, and hilarity. The staging is also fantastic - the playwright has thought through the scenic picture very creatively and beautifully, with the framing of a balloon ride providing ample opportunities for creative production design. I could’ve spent another several hours in this world.

    I absolutely adore the characters in this piece- immensely lovable with rich and layered histories that add nice flashes of tension, warmth, and hilarity. The staging is also fantastic - the playwright has thought through the scenic picture very creatively and beautifully, with the framing of a balloon ride providing ample opportunities for creative production design. I could’ve spent another several hours in this world.

    ”
  • Bethany Dickens Assaf: Wait by Scott Browning
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    Intelligently crafted and plotted, this play contains multiple gut punches. Without giving anything away, the power dynamics here are well thought-out and unexpected. A piece that you could easily see staged to great impact: eerie ambiance, a slow burn, and twisted pet names add to the sense of dread.

    Intelligently crafted and plotted, this play contains multiple gut punches. Without giving anything away, the power dynamics here are well thought-out and unexpected. A piece that you could easily see staged to great impact: eerie ambiance, a slow burn, and twisted pet names add to the sense of dread.

    ”
  • Bethany Dickens Assaf: THE CAGE WHICH HOLDS A HEART by Monica Cross
    “

    Beautiful, rich characters - their voices are so distinct and resonant from the very top of the piece. The metaphor of the piece unfolds carefully, with a deliberate thoughtfulness and commitment I appreciated. And terrific pacing - the tension between the two is compelling at the top and I stayed invested throughout.

    Beautiful, rich characters - their voices are so distinct and resonant from the very top of the piece. The metaphor of the piece unfolds carefully, with a deliberate thoughtfulness and commitment I appreciated. And terrific pacing - the tension between the two is compelling at the top and I stayed invested throughout.

    ”
  • Bethany Dickens Assaf: The Polycule: A Comedy of Manners by Jillian Blevins
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    This play is a finely-crafted treasure box of language and wit. The excellence of the rhyming scheme alone is staggering and utilized for deft and frequent hilarity. A treat to read and would love to see it produced!

    This play is a finely-crafted treasure box of language and wit. The excellence of the rhyming scheme alone is staggering and utilized for deft and frequent hilarity. A treat to read and would love to see it produced!

    ”
  • Bethany Dickens Assaf: Reflections of a Man Above Men by Richard Lyons Conlon
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    I feel like I’ve been waiting my whole life for this play - one that makes the audience an essential character while they just… exist as the audience. The dialogue is so grounded, winsome, and FUNNY that it avoids the pitfalls of tiresome meta plays where the concept is all in all. This is asking more prescient questions about theatre, why we make it, and who it’s for. The shift in the second act is marvelous and did I mention the whole thing is just so so FUNNY? Highly recommend!

    I feel like I’ve been waiting my whole life for this play - one that makes the audience an essential character while they just… exist as the audience. The dialogue is so grounded, winsome, and FUNNY that it avoids the pitfalls of tiresome meta plays where the concept is all in all. This is asking more prescient questions about theatre, why we make it, and who it’s for. The shift in the second act is marvelous and did I mention the whole thing is just so so FUNNY? Highly recommend!

    ”