Recommended by Stephen Kaplan

  • THE UPPING
    17 Dec. 2020
    With her unique style that is reminiscent of Beckett, Churchill, and Brontë, Carnes dissects our perceptions of women and the roles they're allowed to play in society. From the very first lines she brings us into a world that is both nightmare and incredibly real. A riveting one-act with two amazing roles for women and an overall effect that stays with you long after the final curtain.
  • LAUDANUM
    17 Dec. 2020
    An immediately engrossing, horrifying, and brilliant fever dream of a short play that evocatively captures (as I imagine) an addict's mind under the influence. But it also zig-zags through time and feels so much bigger and wider than its short 10 pages. Simultaneously brutal and incredibly delicate - a fantastic piece.
  • SOUP: A play for videoconference
    3 Dec. 2020
    A beautiful play that perfectly captures the time we find ourselves in. Carnes quickly and effectively presents the realities of the anxiety and struggle to connect we experience as we're separated from those that we love. Her uncanny eye and ear take the seemingly mundane matters of everyday life and she spins them into perfect moments of poignancy.
  • MADNESS MOST DISCREET: Larry and Viv's Last Visit
    18 Nov. 2020
    A fascinating examination and imagining of Olivier and Leigh's final meeting. Crackling with witty repartee and devastating emotion, Hoke crafts her well-known subjects with humanity and shows a possible hidden side to them that beautifully completes their public personas. A great two-hander that actors can really sink their teeth into.
  • FOUR DOORS DOWN
    18 Nov. 2020
    A great modern play that deals honestly and candidly with class and friendship. This all-female cast would be a great addition to a theatre's season looking for a play that is funny, smart, and incredibly moving.
  • Buffalo Baby
    18 Nov. 2020
    I always love when I learn something new from a play and Hoke's short audio play doesn't disappoint. She serves history smoothly alongside a dramatic story crackling with the obstacles of gender and science and shows us how sadly 1850 wasn't too far away from where we are today.
  • THE CROSSWORD PLAY (or Ezmeranda's Gift)
    17 Nov. 2020
    In this riveting solo show, Hoke uses the fascinating world of crossword puzzle making to show us a puzzlemaker trying to solve the puzzle of their own life. Simultaneously funny, informative, and moving, Esmeranda's Gift is a play ready for any theatre company eager to find the perfect showcase for a versatile performer.
  • ANNE OF GREEN GABLES
    16 Nov. 2020
    A terrific new version of the original story. Hoke's adaptation finds freshness and vigor in this classic tale and ties the originally episodic structure together in a way that deepens the original's themes and emotional complexity. Those that love the story will fall in love with it all over again, and those who don't know it will quickly be drawn into Hoke's version with her strong characterization, dialogue, and point of view.
  • FINDING NEIL PATRICK HARRIS
    9 Aug. 2020
    A great buddy-in-spite-of-themselves comedy with truly hilarious moments. Hoke's characters jump off the page and into the hearts of the reader and audience and encourage us to think about why we laugh and the importance of laughter and humor.
  • UNEVEN SIDES OF A TRIANGLE
    5 May. 2020
    Giving voice to the often voiceless, O'Neill-Butler finds the light in the darkest of circumstances with a play about hope, resilience, and the families that we make ourselves.

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