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Vince Gatton

Recommended by Vince Gatton

  • All is Calm by Scott Sickles
    20 Dec. 2022
    “ Scott Sickles is an absolute master of the wistfully semi-romantic two-hander. Whether his characters are starting something, stopping something, or missing the something that's staring them in the face, no one handles the lived-in realities of love and longing with the unique mix of wit, insight, nuance, and care that Sickles provides. Here, two long-time best just-friends have a brief non-encounter...that may be more...or may be not. But maybe...could? A lovely theatrical coup gives this sweet small moment a big swell of feeling, and all of us a wonderful holiday gift. ”
  • This Grass Kills People by Daniel Prillaman
    14 Dec. 2022
    “ A funny, grotesque, and queasy portrait of the confused and confusing tower of Babel that is America in Covid-19 Year Three. And because Daniel Prillaman is so damn good at his job, it's also a funny, tense drama that transcends its specific metaphorical moment -- with engaging characters that would be a ball to play, sharp dialogue that zings, and a crazy-making horror premise. Savage, depressing, and fun, all at once. ”
  • Delete by Jacquelyn Floyd-Priskorn
    14 Dec. 2022
    “ Jacquelyn Floyd-Priskorn hits a bullseye here with another of her absurdist/allegorical short pieces. (See also JUST GO RIGHT THROUGH.) A gut-punch of a metaphor, made all the more effective by the gentle frankness of its delivery. Packs a wallop. ”
  • Just Go Right Through by Jacquelyn Floyd-Priskorn
    14 Dec. 2022
    “ Jacquelyn Floyd-Priskorn has a gift for allegorical short plays with deceptively simple set-ups that deliver big ideas and profound emotional impact. (See also DELETE.) Here, the liminal waiting-room space, odd characters, and surreal goings-on are deliciously fun, loaded with humor and a satisfying frisson of foreboding and dread; by the time it arrives at its lovely conclusion, its brief running time has been quietly filled up with big helpings of humanity, compassion, and care. Inventive, imaginative, and wise, this one is. ”
  • The Midnight Cafe by Christopher Soucy
    11 Dec. 2022
    “ I love seeing how playwrights handle a horror-movie premise onstage, and this horror-movie-adjacent, Twilight Zone-esque short delivers beautifully: there’s small-town folksiness tinged with dread, blood, screaming, doubt, suspicion, and twists that twist again, sticking an unexpected landing. Dark? Sure. Grim? Yeah. Weirdly humane and even touching? Perhaps. Your mileage may vary, but by the time it was over I was nodding and thinking that scary-yet-sentimental Rod Serling would surely approve. ”
  • Tipping by Jillian Blevins
    11 Dec. 2022
    “ Take-no-prisoners Badass and unassuming Sadsack meet in a bar — and neither will be the same again. What makes this “two strangers in a fateful chance meeting” play stand out is the rich, vivid color with which both are painted, their oil-and-water vibes operating in delicious counterpoint. An unexpectedly joyful play about deeply unhappy people, with a sweet and salty mix that’s entirely satisfying. ”
  • A Gun or a Paycheck by DC Cathro
    11 Dec. 2022
    “ A premise that could just as easily operate on a breezy, sitcom level accumulates weight and consequence in DC Cathro's sure hands. His sparkly way with dialogue certainly lends itself (at least initially) to a more comedic kind of reading; but as this marital spat over a seemingly minor grievance reveals deeper fissures, big themes emerge about boundaries, compromise, sacrifice, and loss of self. Cathro has a gift for baiting his hook with a shiny setup and then reeling you in to contemplate something harder and more ineffable by story's end. Tight and unexpectedly haunting. ”
  • One is the Road by Mark Loewenstern
    10 Dec. 2022
    “ A knockout of a solo piece and a devastatingly effective piece of writing. Loewenstern’s construction here is cunning, using repetition to build and sustain tension, and focusing tightly on a series of micro-moments that understatedly reveal huge depths of feeling and yield enormous emotional payoff. An insightful, powerful gut punch. ”
  • The Unanticipated Betrayal of the Ongoing "Audition"-esque Situation in Kenny's Man Cave by Daniel Prillaman
    31 Oct. 2022
    “ I say this with love: Daniel Prillaman is broken inside. But lucky us, we reap the benefits of his derangement when it produces insanely funny, dark, horrific, and weirdly romantic shocks like this one. Not for the faint of heart, but an absolute gift for anyone who loves a good blood-soaked bark-laugh, followed by a tender “Awwwww!” ”
  • if all that You take from this is courage, then I've no regrets by Nicholas Pilapil
    29 Jun. 2022
    “ An utterly charming and ultimately gut-punching portrait of a Filipino-American lola and her grandson. There's so much going on here as these witty, smart characters navigate a kitchen together: immigration, assimilation, family dynamics...plus hate crimes and other threats specific to our era. A salty, sassy short piece that earns every bit of its emotional payoff. ”

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