Recommended by Peter Fenton

  • It is difficult to accomplish what Richter has with BANSHEE. This play spans centuries of family history, the consequences of one ancestor's decisions leading to generations of mystery and trauma inherited by a contemporary descendant who may or may not live to break the cycle... and it's incredibly producible. I saw the world premiere at Reading Theater Project and this odyssey was expertly staged with very much less set and tech than one might expect. Please read this, and stage it again ASAP!

    It is difficult to accomplish what Richter has with BANSHEE. This play spans centuries of family history, the consequences of one ancestor's decisions leading to generations of mystery and trauma inherited by a contemporary descendant who may or may not live to break the cycle... and it's incredibly producible. I saw the world premiere at Reading Theater Project and this odyssey was expertly staged with very much less set and tech than one might expect. Please read this, and stage it again ASAP!

  • Ian Donley always enjoys playing fast and loose with the fourth wall in his plays, and in trauma dumping, Donley combines his signature loose fourth wall with a trippy dream-like structure and threads it with plenty of religious trauma for an unforgettable read! I have a feeling this will be a favorite of college students with dark senses of humor and an affinity for abstract theater who are actively wrestling with their religious upbringings.

    Ian Donley always enjoys playing fast and loose with the fourth wall in his plays, and in trauma dumping, Donley combines his signature loose fourth wall with a trippy dream-like structure and threads it with plenty of religious trauma for an unforgettable read! I have a feeling this will be a favorite of college students with dark senses of humor and an affinity for abstract theater who are actively wrestling with their religious upbringings.

  • The only complaint I would ever have about Re-Gifted is I wish there was more of it. DC Cathro is the kind of playwright operating at a skill level of crafting human drama that I got at least 10 years of relational history and grief between our two players in just eight pages. A tear-jerker, surprisingly realistic, and giving way to a hopeful melancholy by the end. Excellent work.

    The only complaint I would ever have about Re-Gifted is I wish there was more of it. DC Cathro is the kind of playwright operating at a skill level of crafting human drama that I got at least 10 years of relational history and grief between our two players in just eight pages. A tear-jerker, surprisingly realistic, and giving way to a hopeful melancholy by the end. Excellent work.

  • This whimsical, almost Vaudeville-esque title gives way to deeply cinematic winter-themed horror short. I appreciate the vivid picture Hilder paints with the stage directions and sound effects--it's a deeply atmospheric, very character-centered, trippy short play. Would fit in great with a holiday horror festival lineup.

    This whimsical, almost Vaudeville-esque title gives way to deeply cinematic winter-themed horror short. I appreciate the vivid picture Hilder paints with the stage directions and sound effects--it's a deeply atmospheric, very character-centered, trippy short play. Would fit in great with a holiday horror festival lineup.

  • This holiday play should send a chill down your spine--but probably not in the way you expect. Hilary Bluestein-Lyons sets you up with one darkly comedic premise where you think it's going, then your stomach drops when you suddenly realize what it's actually about--and then your stomach tightens into a knot as you go through to see what happens. This all happens in roughly 10 minutes, by the way.

    This holiday play should send a chill down your spine--but probably not in the way you expect. Hilary Bluestein-Lyons sets you up with one darkly comedic premise where you think it's going, then your stomach drops when you suddenly realize what it's actually about--and then your stomach tightens into a knot as you go through to see what happens. This all happens in roughly 10 minutes, by the way.

  • A very fun reverse-Parent Trap scenario in this play! I love the authenticity of the relationship between the adult half-siblings shakily rebuilding their relationship after what has felt like a lifetime of mistruths and missed connections. A great two-hander with fun roles for both players!

    A very fun reverse-Parent Trap scenario in this play! I love the authenticity of the relationship between the adult half-siblings shakily rebuilding their relationship after what has felt like a lifetime of mistruths and missed connections. A great two-hander with fun roles for both players!

  • Peter Fenton: This Is Not the Cotswolds and You’re Not Cameron Diaz

    This ten-minute piece from Philip Middleton Williams is a trippy comedy sketch in the best way, it feels like an Abbott and Costello routine following two people who are listening to each other but don't seem to be able to hear each other. Bonus points that Williams named the men Tom and Jerry, which brings to mind a cartoon cat and mouse, adding to the inherent vaudeville/slapstick-quality to this piece. Quite fun!

    This ten-minute piece from Philip Middleton Williams is a trippy comedy sketch in the best way, it feels like an Abbott and Costello routine following two people who are listening to each other but don't seem to be able to hear each other. Bonus points that Williams named the men Tom and Jerry, which brings to mind a cartoon cat and mouse, adding to the inherent vaudeville/slapstick-quality to this piece. Quite fun!

  • Peter Fenton: CHIMNEY MONSTER

    A family-friendly Christmas-themed hostage negotiation. I love it! Jokes aside, CHIMNEY MONSTER is a 10-minute holiday piece that contains some unexpected, but welcome, commentary on family connection, overcoming prejudice and lost innocence, and the trademark warmth of the season. Great work, Debra! (PS: I don't know if this helps, but I read Ash's dialogue in Dick van Dyke's haphazard Cockney accent from Mary Poppins.)

    A family-friendly Christmas-themed hostage negotiation. I love it! Jokes aside, CHIMNEY MONSTER is a 10-minute holiday piece that contains some unexpected, but welcome, commentary on family connection, overcoming prejudice and lost innocence, and the trademark warmth of the season. Great work, Debra! (PS: I don't know if this helps, but I read Ash's dialogue in Dick van Dyke's haphazard Cockney accent from Mary Poppins.)

  • Peter Fenton: HOLIDAY OFFICE PARTY FOR THE SELF-EMPLOYED 3

    It's an intriguing premise, to think about what side characters do (or don't do) when the author doesn't need them. Christopher Soucy has chosen to explore this scenario to great effect in his third entry in the HOLIDAY OFFICE PARTY FOR THE SELF-EMPLOYED series. (Why is it always lupus?!)

    It's an intriguing premise, to think about what side characters do (or don't do) when the author doesn't need them. Christopher Soucy has chosen to explore this scenario to great effect in his third entry in the HOLIDAY OFFICE PARTY FOR THE SELF-EMPLOYED series. (Why is it always lupus?!)

  • Peter Fenton: HOLIDAY OFFICE PARTY FOR THE SELF-EMPLOYED 2

    This is like Goodnight Moon for someone working in a horror museum. I love it.

    This is like Goodnight Moon for someone working in a horror museum. I love it.