Recommended by John Busser

08.20.25 - I finished reading Sam Heyman's play with a deep sense of satisfaction. Here we see two watchdog entities, each cognizant of their respective jurisdictions, both somewhat dismissive of the others, yet they come together when they see their young charge needs a bit more than what they alone can provide. This is such a wonderful take on the sharing of responsibility. They come out of this with a grudging respect and a sense of camaraderie for the other. What a terrific message.

08.11.25 - Lucy Wang lets you have it with both barrels here with this darkly funny screed about being Asian American in our currently-having-a-meltdown melting pot of a country. Between coronavirus and the political virus diving us up, things can seem sickly bleak. But just take Lucy's spot-on funny advice and you'll breeze right through your day, no matter where you'll get (possibly) locked up? quarantined? separated? You get the point.

08.11.25 - Ah Morey, what would the holidays be without your singular take on it? This little present under the tree is just what an audience would need to cheer them up on a cold winter morning (or evening, you know, right around curtain time). I ho-ho-ho'd a number of times ("It's not what you're thinking" gets a delightful payoff) and Santa is even environmentally conscious too. Great stuff!

08.11.25 - A play about the twisted relationship of those who feed off of others to the point of total assimilation. Parasites are loathsome in their tactics, but keep in mind that the hosts are sometimes willing participants in their own takeover. Rather timely in our divided society today, I think. Ruben Carbajal is onto something here.

08.11.25 - This type of play is not an easy one for the audience, but what it WOULD provide is a cross-section of ideas born of seeing it. We are left to bring our own interpretation to it and I guarantee no two points of view would be the same. There's nothing wrong with having to do some of the heavy lifting here. I'd be fascinated to hear a post-performance discussion and hear what people thought about who A and Z were and just what IS the void they were occupying. A bright spot indeed.

08.11.25 - The technical hurdles alone would make this a must-see on a stage! Someone find a way to make this happen. Brent Alles has put together a goofy, sci-fi alien encounter that, like vegetables themselves, is good for you. But with enough fun stuff to make it go down like a favorite dessert. I just wanna see how they'd do all the fun stuff!

08.08.25 - Oh, that one hit right between the ventricles. A sad but heartfelt look and family, food and the connections (re)established over a home cooked meal. Jacquie Floyd-Priskorn never fails to tug at the heartstrings in a way that makes you want seconds. Or thirds.

08.08.25 - HA! I LOVE this premise! Not only the setup, but the sadly inevitable punchline Jacquie Floyd-Priskorn gives us. The only bad thing about this play is its brevity. I'd love to see this concept expanded. Oh, the places Jacquie could take us...

08.08.25 - How quickly an annoyance can turn into something more sinister. I love the expectation this starts with only to (needle drop scratch) take on a whole other course. And not one leaving you at ease. Horrible fun (is there such a thing?) from the always entertaining Jacquie Floyd-Priskorn.

08.08.25 - A delightfully bonkers bit of anthropomorphic antics from Jacquie Floyd-Priskorn that nonetheless sheds some (in some cases, embarrassing) light on regional attitudes and reactionary takes on outsiders coming to visit. And timely as all hell. This would be a great palate cleanser between what are sure to be a glut of longer plays about the clash of bordering states and their identities. Throw this darkly funny wedge right between them.