Recommended by Peter Fenton

  • Zoning Ordinances
    2 Apr. 2023
    Two of my favorite traditions are having actors play complete nonsense with a straight face and blending the mundane with the fantastical. Weaver's 10-minute play has both executed deliciously well!
  • Through Bonavia, or The Simple Truth
    1 Apr. 2023
    This play is—for lack of a better word—epic! Yoshikawa has done something I've never quite seen done before: create a play in the grand style and language of Shakespeare but with a distinctly postmodern narrative. This play MUST be read aloud in order to fully appreciate the depth to the language Yoshikawa brought to the piece. It is unmistakably Shakespearean, and yet unmistakably speaking to the here and now. Well done!
  • The United Plays of America - Iowa - Crashing Tulips
    31 Mar. 2023
    I love any little gay love story and Claudia Haas has written a beautiful slice-of-life scene exploring a bit of the dynamic between a lesbian couple in the Midwest. I enjoyed the beats of humor (like substituting profanity with literally the word "expletive") and the tenderness of the situation, especially with two women at different points in their journey of self-acceptance. A quick, satisfying read!
  • Zoom Zoom I'm in Love!
    31 Mar. 2023
    As someone who has also developed an impossible crush on the subway, I found this piece especially relatable. Emmy Kuperschmid has written an intriguing, thought-provoking zoom play. A dark comedy to be sure, but also a powerful illustration of how the pandemic has messed with all of our human-to-human interactions. I especially love the monologues for our lead role, January—Kuperschmid's style blends true-to-life dialogue with spoken word poetry in a way that must be heard aloud. Highly recommend this quick read!
  • A SHRUNKEN PROMISE
    25 Mar. 2023
    This one is a short, poignant monologue reflecting on how honest Emma Lazarus’ words really are at the base of the Statue of Liberty. I’ll definitely be thinking about this one next time I see Lady Liberty.
  • Magical Girl Play
    23 Mar. 2023
    I'm so happy I stumbled upon the excerpt of this play! Emmy Kuperschmid has great comedy chops on full display in this short excerpt and I'd be intrigued to see the rest of the script to see the full arc of the promising synopsis. Also... I love a good pun more than anything in the world and I'll be laughing about the Clean Elizabeth II for a while.
  • TWO OLD MEN SITTING ON A BENCH (a gentle short comedy)
    23 Mar. 2023
    I really appreciate this play—Marj O’Neill-Butler taps into universal worries about death and aging as she writes very true-to-life dialogue in a short, gently comedic slice-of-life scene twinged with melancholy.
  • ALiEN8 (with Kate Brennan)
    21 Mar. 2023
    I saw the production of this play by the Bucks County Playhouse professional youth company last summer! This was an incredible story about accepting others and dealing with the heavy secrets we carry. It really was a great production from top to bottom and it's a show I hope to see regularly performed by schools and professional companies alike!
  • The Curious Tale of Marston Moore's Untimely Demise
    21 Mar. 2023
    I love any comedic subversive take on the afterlife, so Plumridge's 10-minute play hit me in an especially great place! I love that this play just raises more and more questions as it goes on, about Marston's life, about "Steph" and "Lucy", about gay heaven vs straight heaven—and I think I admire most that the play doesn't leave the reader with an answer. Highly recommend... I'd love to see a little girl play God!
  • Swindlers
    21 Mar. 2023
    Oh my goodness! This play was so funny—I plowed through it at a very quick clip. Ferrer's farcical sense of humor leaps right off the page and the ending is just gambit upon gambit upon gambit. I have occasional nightmares about suddenly getting roped into throwing a party I didn't know anything about, so this play and its protagonists were pretty relatable to me.

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