Recommended by Arthur Gramm

What a fantastic illustration of video game escapism, domestic abuse, and sacrifice! I never thought I would care what happens to a Deku Shrub! It's encouraging to see a positive portrayal of the power of video games to bring light and heroes to a dark world.

I have never read a play that was more willing, more able, to be self aware and honest with itself and its audience. As this play deep-dives into OCD within the lives of its characters, you slowly realize that this is not a play about OCD, but is a work that embodies OCD. This renders it a powerful snapshot that the audience cannot help but connect to, because it is so real and so authentic. This is a play that questions itself, questions the audience, and brings to life the anxiety and doubt of living.

In the most positive sense of the word, this play is messy. As it examines the literal victims of toxic masculinity, it never relies on platitudes or false solutions. This is a real play that looks at suicide with an appropriate tension between lightness and heaviness, carried by the palpable friendship between Ryan and Jake. The characters are real, the dialogue is subtle, and the emotional impact is intense.

This play is a fast paced short that comedically finds a way to address real issues about relationships and toxic masculinity. None of the characters are unaffected by it, and the author's light-hearted tone allows one to be drawn in and moved by the story. It's relatable, funny, and real, without being intimidating. It'd love to see it performed.

Reading this play is like reading good poetry. It is emotionally complex, intricately beautiful, and incredibly thought-provoking. I found myself so easily and quickly drawn in to the well develop characters and quick, natural dialogue. It is one of the most interesting structures I have seen in a play, striking a perfect balance between the normally dreaded flashback and the intense interrogation by Ken. The use of gender fluidity is interesting and unique. It only ever adds to the story, never subtracts. This play was amazing in my mind's eye, and I'm convinced it would be even better on stage.

Reading this play feels like discovering a lost form of art you didn’t know was still possible. The way E. M. Lewis uses non-linear time and a lack of scene transition creates a work that that has the pacing to match it’s label as a “thriller”. This play goes beyond simply a “who-dun-it” and takes a good long look at why it matters. The writing is dynamic, so much so that even reading it, the characters came alive before me. This play is a thought-provoking work that provides an entirely new way to approach mystery.