Recommended by John Adams

  • Discharged
    25 Apr. 2022
    I saw a reading of this play at the 2022 William Inge Theatre Festival. This is a very powerful piece centering on veterans and society. In a very short span of time, the playwright manages to say so much about the lives our service members have lived, at home and abroad. But what I found particularly compelling was everything the playwright had to say about how these veterans connect with (and are tempted to disconnect from) each other. Well done!
  • 500/501
    25 Apr. 2022
    I saw a reading of this play at the 2022 William Inge Theatre Festival. Highly recommended. This one manages to carry a very important message -- and yet, it falls into none of the traps of a traditional "message play." The use of humor throughout was spectacular -- not just a quick joke here or there, but this was a genuinely hysterical piece. The comedy made the tragedy of the piece all the more potent. Well done!
  • Artifact
    25 Apr. 2022
    I saw a reading of this piece at the 2022 William Inge Theatre Festival. The characters were very vivid and quickly came to life for me. The playwright did a nice job of efficiently establishing the stakes for each character, while still doling out the details with the perfect timing to keep us eager for more throughout. The relationship between these characters was forged quickly -- from being strangers to the point where you hoped they'd see each other again. Nice work!
  • TOUCH THE MOON One Act Play, 3 Characters
    25 Apr. 2022
    I saw a reading of this play at the 2022 William Inge Theatre Festival. Though it covers a very challenging subject matter, it was engaging and outright poetic throughout. The playwright really took some bold swings while employing the reenacted-flashback format -- and these swings always paid off to give us a vivid, memorable piece of art. This one stuck with me!
  • What Happens At Jock Night
    21 Mar. 2020
    A fun play with clever dialogue, delightfully unexpected comedy, a bit of skin and -- oh yeah -- a heartfelt message about acceptance. Whatever happens at ACTUAL jock nights may need to STAY at those jock nights, but the play "What Happens At Jock Night" should be read by all.
  • The Home for Retired Canadian Girlfriends
    29 Sep. 2019
    Ha! This was so funny! And it was such a clever and inspired idea! Everything was so much fun -- the premise, the characters, the details... The ending was great, and so incredibly positive and refreshing. It would have been easy for Bavoso to earn some laughs off this premise then limp to the finish line, but instead, we get a strong character taking distinct agency right up to the end -- and influencing another character to boot! Highly recommended!
  • A Life Enriching Community
    29 Sep. 2019
    Oh, wow. This was so sweet. Somehow sad but very uplifting as well. I feel like I know these characters, and -- more importantly -- the way Williams writes them they know *each other* so well! This is really a beautiful piece. Excellent work! EDIT: Oh, and perhaps the funniest hernia joke you'll ever come across :D
  • Lost, yet Forever Here
    29 Sep. 2019
    Very cool concept -- something you might see on the movie or TV screen, but Esposito does a nice job of translating it in a very strage-friendly manner. Sad but also punctuated with the perfect amount of quirky character moments. There were some very interesting parallels between the main character(s) and her deceased mother. Saw at the 2019 Midwest Dramatists Conference.
  • Crossroads
    29 Sep. 2019
    Captivating story of a young woman in flux. Packs a ton into a small space, most notably issues of mortality, family, and reconnection. There are some very tender moments here, written well and realistically. A very powerful piece! Saw at the 2019 Midwest Dramatists Conference.
  • Round the Decay
    29 Sep. 2019
    Ouch! Brutally realistic. Full of tension and great character moments. I think actors will LOVE to get this meaty script that does a ton in just 10 minutes. Deals with some very tough material, and will have audiences on the edge of their seats. Saw at the 2019 Midwest Dramatists Conference.

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