Recommended by John Bavoso

With a title and premise this, um... juicy, this play had a lot to live up to, and Malone rises to his own challenge admirably! This is a genuinely hysterical riff on the living room play, filled with brilliant puns, innuendo, and even some real heart. I would imagine this would be an absolute blast for both the cast/production team and the audience alike. I highly recommend reading, and producing, this delightfully absurd script immediately!

With THE CALORIE COUNTERS, Molly Wagner has created a quick-moving, accessible script that still smartly gets at the many contradictions even those in the body positivity movement struggle with—the tension between loving yourself and wanting, on some level, to change; the interplay between the shame the outside world projects onto you versus the painful narratives you impose on yourself; wanting your weight to not define you, but thinking about it constantly. This is a script that should be read and produced widely! Well done.

What a hilarious and unexpectedly tender play about the romantic relationship between a mortal and a vampire! Gill’s dialogue is witty and sharp, but also delves into questions of mortality and self-image. A really fun and surprising short piece!

THE PAPER HANGERS is a deeply theatrical examination of trauma, mental illness, and reluctant motherhood and a savvy reimagining of a classic text. There are so many opportunities in this play for creativity and wit from a team of designers. And let me tell you, the musings on solitude and staying indoors hit differently during a global pandemic. Everyone should read this play right now!

A beautiful, deceptively simple play for all ages about nature, love, and prescribed roles. I would love to see a production of this piece with all the movement included. Gorgeous work!

I was lucky enough to be in the room as Andrew was working on this beautiful play, and am so happy to get to read a complete draft! At the time, we had a great discussion of the idea of “cinematic” as a negative note in theatre, and ONE-SHOT is a great example of how a play can be both cinematic AND highly theatrical. It’s a powerfully queer love story rooted in a specific time and place that’s also resonant in the here and now. Read this play!

Natalie demonstrates her incredible versatility as a writer with Pillowtalk, gliding through a series of vignettes ranging from funny to tender to cringe-worthy to unsettling, all taking place in and around a single bed. I was lucky enough to catch the workshop production last year, and hope to see a full production soon. Highly recommended!

This is a really cute play for young audiences about getting along and making yourself open to new people, which will also have resonance with our current world for older audience members. Cleverly done, and I think this is a show kids could really have fun with!

With GODDESS OF THE HUNT, DeVita has created a delightfully over-the-top, campy, farce with touches of real queer life, including the stereotypical straight woman who collects gay men like Pokémon and young gay men hunting for rich daddies. While there’s a lot of fun to be had in matching up elements of the story to the their mythological counterparts, Classical knowledge isn’t at all a prerequisite to enjoying this darkly comic romp about the dangers of not truly knowing who your “friends” on social media are.

This, like all of John’s work, is a queer love letter to a specific genre—in this case, the Victorian detective story. Suffused with wit and the supernatural, this play manages to raise serious issues of repression and self-loathing all within the context of a delightful comedy and while winking knowingly to the audience. A great addition to any queer, genre, or Halloween short play festival!