Recommended by Doug DeVita

  • Clasp
    24 Oct. 2020
    I only have a few words to say about this play: beautifully, deeply touching, and a necessary, contemporary work of art. Highly recommended.
  • Paper Towels
    24 Oct. 2020
    The anger, frustration, and passion that bubbles through Nelson Diaz-Marcano's best work is on almost-uncontrolled display in this piece; it's a disquieting, provocative work, and among his best. Tight and tense, Diaz-Marcano aims at the root problems of contrasting cultures in this country and pulls the trigger with shattering, heart-breaking precision. It's a thrilling work deserving of numerous productions.
  • 2 Bdrm 1 Bath
    23 Oct. 2020
    This wonderful short film screenplay perfectly captures the tension of two people sharing one bathroom while trying to sell their small home during the first few months of their marriage. A hilarious and spot on "cinema verité," Floyd-Priskorn keeps the couple's stress levels rising with comedic skill, and then adroitly turns the table with an ending that is poignant, but perfect. Oh, how I would love to see this filmed.
  • Programming (T)error
    23 Oct. 2020
    This is both hilarious and horrifying, and is so damn funny it hurts. Well done, Busser, well done!!!

    Warning: do not be drinking anything while reading this, lest you do an uncontrollable spit take and have to call tech support; I don't think Kasey could handle any more after this.
  • Waiting for Godínez
    22 Oct. 2020
    "But if I were a dog, I would not be deported each night and I would live in a beautiful casa at the beach."

    Brilliant aphorisms such as the one above abound in this gut-wrenching tragic-comedy from Daniel Olivas; taking Beckett's absurdist WAITING FOR GODOT and expertly weaving the current border crisis into the fabric of the story, Olivas has created a powerful work that stands as a heartbreaking piece of theatre on its own considerable merits. A must read, must produce play.
  • Blue Marble
    21 Oct. 2020
    Oscar Cabrera's ten-minute mini-musical BLUE MARBLE charms with its plaintive call for love, friendship, and acceptance whether one is human or AI. A lovely SciFI gem for Youth Theatre, it works on all levels, even for jaded adults in the audience. Simply delightful.
  • Feral
    19 Oct. 2020
    Ross Tedford Kendall's FERAL is a perfect 10; the characters' desires and needs are beautifully delineated, their conflicts are clear, and the metaphors are delicately weaved into their story. And it lingers long after one has read it as, I am sure, it will linger long after seeing it in performance. A subtle-but-strong, gorgeous piece of writing.
  • Don't Laugh. It's Funny.
    19 Oct. 2020
    A stunner. What could have been chaotic and depressing is buoyed by Foster's snappy inventiveness; a dark story, yes, but told with such a light, almost stream-of-consciousness air that we laugh even as we choke back tears and/or gasp in horror. A wonderful showcase for two actors, and a gift for an imaginative director.
  • The 5th Musketeer (full-length)
    19 Oct. 2020
    What a fun piece, full of wit and derring-do, fully in the spirit of Alexandre Dumas but expertly laced with issues that give it a sense of contemporary urgency. There are lots of opportunities for inventive staging and performances, as well as a great central role for an actress. Exciting and delightful, I can imagine what fun it would be to watch, and I hope I have that opportunity soon.
  • Small Jokes About Monsters
    16 Oct. 2020
    Right from its breathtakingly paced opening, Strafford grabs by the nuts and doesn't let go. Stark, using humor like a knife, has written an uncompromising, heartbreaking piece in which the family secrets are truly devastating. This long night's journey into even darker night shatters with its deeply cutting emotional bluntness. I'd love to see this staged.

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