Recommended by Katherine Varga

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    A charming 10 minute play about a woman who knows exactly what she wants. I love seeing strong roles written for older actors, and Madeline is a delight: feisty, layered, and headstrong.

    A charming 10 minute play about a woman who knows exactly what she wants. I love seeing strong roles written for older actors, and Madeline is a delight: feisty, layered, and headstrong.

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    What an intense, juicy family drama! This well-structured play has distinctive characters, clear stakes, and many wonderfully vivid details about life on an Indiana farm. I was on the edge of my seat reading this, eager to find out how this family would resolve their dysfunction and whose vision of the farm would win out. I audibly gasped multiple times in the second half. Read & produce this if you love Chekhovian plots, evocative rural settings, and complicated families.

    What an intense, juicy family drama! This well-structured play has distinctive characters, clear stakes, and many wonderfully vivid details about life on an Indiana farm. I was on the edge of my seat reading this, eager to find out how this family would resolve their dysfunction and whose vision of the farm would win out. I audibly gasped multiple times in the second half. Read & produce this if you love Chekhovian plots, evocative rural settings, and complicated families.

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    What a romp! This is a hilarious premise (I LOL’d throughout reading) with a deeply theatrical and moving execution. I loved the queer analysis of Taylor Swift’s songs and the celebrity gossip, but ultimately the play is a personal portrayal of comphet-induced heartbreak and a plea for queer pride.

    What a romp! This is a hilarious premise (I LOL’d throughout reading) with a deeply theatrical and moving execution. I loved the queer analysis of Taylor Swift’s songs and the celebrity gossip, but ultimately the play is a personal portrayal of comphet-induced heartbreak and a plea for queer pride.

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    “The Brides of Dracula” is an engaging and well-crafted Sapphic remix of Bram Stoker’s classic vampire tale. Anyone who likes Dracula and/or queer Victorian gothic fantasies and/or cheesy gay love stories should check this out. I had a great time seeing the Penfield Players production of this play, and I hope it continues to have a life onstage!

    “The Brides of Dracula” is an engaging and well-crafted Sapphic remix of Bram Stoker’s classic vampire tale. Anyone who likes Dracula and/or queer Victorian gothic fantasies and/or cheesy gay love stories should check this out. I had a great time seeing the Penfield Players production of this play, and I hope it continues to have a life onstage!

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    As usual, Weingarten's details and humor are spot on. This anachronistic send-up of The Yellow Wallpaper is as eerie as it is delightful.

    As usual, Weingarten's details and humor are spot on. This anachronistic send-up of The Yellow Wallpaper is as eerie as it is delightful.

  • Katherine Varga: The Christmas Special by John Hendel
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    Hendel creates a world of dark rituals, homemade food, and rich companionship so compelling that when a more recognizable outside world creeps in, you find yourself hoping a cannibalistic Santa will come in and save the day. This play got belly laughs out of me, as well as somber contemplation at the lengths Barbara must go to live on her own terms. I especially enjoyed the use of Christmas songs to advance the narrative- I now prefer many of Hendel's revamped lyrics over the originals!

    Hendel creates a world of dark rituals, homemade food, and rich companionship so compelling that when a more recognizable outside world creeps in, you find yourself hoping a cannibalistic Santa will come in and save the day. This play got belly laughs out of me, as well as somber contemplation at the lengths Barbara must go to live on her own terms. I especially enjoyed the use of Christmas songs to advance the narrative- I now prefer many of Hendel's revamped lyrics over the originals!

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  • Katherine Varga: The Evolution of Rattlesnakes by Jean Egdorf
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    Through evocative language and rich characterization, Egdorf grabs your attention and doesn’t let go until the final reveal. This play masterfully captures the dynamics of small town life, the pervasive danger of insidious men, and the power of women who demand the most from life for themselves and for each other. It has forever changed how I think about rattlesnakes.

    Through evocative language and rich characterization, Egdorf grabs your attention and doesn’t let go until the final reveal. This play masterfully captures the dynamics of small town life, the pervasive danger of insidious men, and the power of women who demand the most from life for themselves and for each other. It has forever changed how I think about rattlesnakes.

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  • Katherine Varga: FREE COFFEE AND DONUTS by Melinda Gros
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    I had the pleasure of seeing a well-received reading of this play at Geva Theatre. I was amazed by the range of emotions Gros evokes in a short amount of time: from pure delight for the way her compelling women characters go out of their way to support each other, to anguish at ChiChi's inability to accept the help she so desperately needs and deserves. I can't wait to see what's next for this play.

    I had the pleasure of seeing a well-received reading of this play at Geva Theatre. I was amazed by the range of emotions Gros evokes in a short amount of time: from pure delight for the way her compelling women characters go out of their way to support each other, to anguish at ChiChi's inability to accept the help she so desperately needs and deserves. I can't wait to see what's next for this play.

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  • Katherine Varga: Stitched with a Sickle and a Hammer by Inna Tsyrlin
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    I was fortunate enough to see a workshop production of this play at Ohio University. Wow. I can't remember the last time a piece of theater made my heart race as much as the final scene of this play did. Tsyrlin masterfully handles layers of meta-theatricality in this play about a theater troupe putting on The Seagull as part of a Potemkin village. Both intimate and epic, this play balances the harsh reality of the gulag with moments of humor and humanity. It deserves many more productions.

    I was fortunate enough to see a workshop production of this play at Ohio University. Wow. I can't remember the last time a piece of theater made my heart race as much as the final scene of this play did. Tsyrlin masterfully handles layers of meta-theatricality in this play about a theater troupe putting on The Seagull as part of a Potemkin village. Both intimate and epic, this play balances the harsh reality of the gulag with moments of humor and humanity. It deserves many more productions.

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  • Katherine Varga: Burning (Or, Like a Sitcom) by Jean Egdorf
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    I was lucky enough to see this performed in Midnight Madness at Ohio University a year ago and I'm still in awe of the spell it cast over the audience. In just a few pages, Egdorf creates an incredibly vivid and dangerous world. The use of the laugh track is absolutely haunting.

    I was lucky enough to see this performed in Midnight Madness at Ohio University a year ago and I'm still in awe of the spell it cast over the audience. In just a few pages, Egdorf creates an incredibly vivid and dangerous world. The use of the laugh track is absolutely haunting.

    ”