Recommended by Eli Effinger-Weintraub

  • Final Arrangements
    5 Jun. 2019
    A wonderfully thought-provoking play about how the already complex faces of grief after a loved one's death are complicated by learning something terrible about the deceased. Johnson deftly explores how we can continue to love someone who's wronged us and how we can hold onto the good memories without erasing the ugly truths. And by far my favorite thing about this script is that, although these two female characters fight, the ultimate solution to their situation lies in recognizing that they're on the same side--not pitted against each other.
  • THE UPPING
    30 May. 2019
    Oh. Oh *wow.* This script pulls no punches in outlining exactly what has been happening, and is continuing to happen, to women's rights everywhere since the dawn of colonialism. Far past, near past, and present slam together with lyricism and brutality. The poetry of the dialogue underscores the injustice of the characters' treatment. Would be a very rewarding experience for the performers involved.
  • The Brothers Paranormal
    29 May. 2019
    I attended the Mu/Penumbra production, debated it the whole way home with my spouse, and literally shrieked when I found it here. This script is *incredible.* It's a haunting (PUN INTENDED) and gut-wrenching meditation on displacement, home, family, culture, history, mental illness, and belief. It is also REALLY REALLY SCARY. There's so much delicious dialogue for performers to sink their teeth into, and designers will have a blast bringing the creepy effects to life. This one will stick with audiences long after the lights go down.
  • East Of The Sun
    24 May. 2019
    I had chills the entire time while I read this. Heartbreak and hope wind together with beautiful imagery and such beautiful, lyrical language for performers to sink their teeth into. Treats serious subjects seriously, but with a light touch. Excellent pacing and mix of moods all in one concise yet expansive work.
  • Purple Cloud
    22 May. 2019
    A lovely and haunting script about identity, history, and culture, and the desire to define ourselves expansively despite the small boxes the world tries to shove us into. As it moves through time and space, it offers performers, directors, and designers a rich opportunity to explore the moods and mores of different eras and cultures. Would make a powerful production for any theater company that wants to explore Asian American experience in the last half-century.
  • The Dandelion Snow Cycle
    21 May. 2019
    No one does "frothy gay romance that HITS YOU IN THE FEELS PLACE" like Matthew Everett. This series of interconnected short plays explore the dangers of nostalgia, the bad decisions that loneliness is prone to, and the ways that moving on can hurt like heck, even when it's the best thing for you. With seven solid roles for performers to dive into, one or all of the pieces of this cycle will bring sweetness and heart to any production of short(er) works.
  • Last Dance with MJ
    17 Jan. 2019
    :cackles madly: This is a fun, fast-paced, and deeply satisfying tale of revenge and modern dating. An excellent two-hander for two young actresses.
  • Interview with a Dinosaur
    4 Jan. 2019
    Had me giggling from the first stage direction and didn't let up. Full of surprising and delightful twists and a big heart (and big feet).
  • Hatchet Lady
    27 Dec. 2018
    This script is raw beauty, dazzling spectacle, unexpected humor, and fierce resistance. It will make you rethink how you define success and what you think you know about Carry Nation. It's about grabbing for your biggest dream and getting sh*t DONE--even if it turns out to be the wrong dream and the wrong sh*t. Read it. Produce it. Change the world.
  • Oh, No! I Flew Too Close to the Sun!
    5 Nov. 2018
    A hilarious play about an actor giving (literally) his all for the craft. Amongst the nonstop laughs, Higbee asks some subtle questions about justice, faith in the government, and the comforting white lies we all tell to get us through the day. And did I mention that it's side-splittingly funny?

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