Recommended by John Busser

12.15.24 - I had to wait a few minutes after reading this to gather my thoughts. This play by Greg Vovos hits on such a deeply emotional level, you can't help but be affected by it. There are so many moments of quiet poetry here, it eclipses the harshness of the tragic event that brings the characters together. How amazing that an umbrella, usually a symbol signaling bad conditions, is used as an element of hope here. It symbolizes a protection we can gather under and be closer. Just terrific.

12.13.24 - Ahh, where would we be without the Patrickites and their dedication to their "religion"? Always ready to convert the heathens. Just like I'm a member of the Jacquielite order (Fan of Jacquie Floyd and her funny work), but you don't need a green beer to enjoy her work. Just a quick wit. Join this cult today.

12.11.24 - HA! I loved the payoff to this one minute wonder by Morey Norkin. As a hiker, I too let my imagination take to the hills when I'm out in the woods, and this hit me right in the heart. Or I'm having an episode right now...

12.10.24 - I just listened to Ruby Sky's production of this. It's beautifully realized. A tale of grief that somehow becomes a gift that keeps on giving. Francis is able to communicate with his late mother who passed making holiday cookies and who now visits with him every Christmas. It's poignant, touching and leaves you wanting to gather those closest to you and hold them tight. You never know when the unexpected might take them away. Lindsay Partain has given us something special.

12.01.24 - The best love stories contain a high element of risk. And not of storms or high speed, but real risk. The kind where hearts and souls get broken. Aly Kantor gives us a story of two such risk-takers, one, an agoraphobe out for a safe thrill that backfires when the other, hurt from his own lost race with a relationship, accepts her offer. We watch these two go back and forth, playing a game of chicken as a storm brews outside. Will lightning strike inside or out? Read it and see.

12.01.24 - I didn't know what to expect from this play, although Aly Kantor's character descriptions should have provided some insight. (Loved the "human keep out sign" and a "human welcome mat" sobriquets). This went dark quickly but dark in a twisted, humorous way that I loved. What a story the two characters present us with. No ordinary meet-cute this, I was fascinated with the possibilities and although one character may provide payoff to the other soon, I was clamoring for more. Terrific.

12.01.24 - There's not only a calm after a storm, there's also a sense of a new beginning. Ada is readying herself for this. No more watching life from under the shelter of the familiar. She wants to join Maddie in the sunshine. What a wonderful message from Vivian Lermond's short play. Vivian always writes from a place of authenticity. Her characters sound like people we know. That's what makes her work so relatable. And yet, we're never retreading old ground. We feel like this is new territory

12.01.24 - A short examination about focus. Specifically focusing in, closing off outside noise, outside distractions and making your world fit into your view. It's a way to deal with the outside world, by closing it off, and taking control of what you can. Life has a way of diminishing focus, and Steve Martin's Vince is here trying to make sense, by zeroing in on things of importance to him. A picture is worth a thousand words, but the taking of it says multitudes.

11.30.24 - HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. Stupid or not, this curse was exactly what I needed to read about today. Daniel Prillaman's work is never cause for a curse, unless you count the curses I threw out realizing I hadn't thought of this first. I love the wordsmithery (not a word, I know, but to honor Dan's linguistic tomfoolery, I'll make an exception) found in the curse's implementation, and I think not only will an audience get a kick out of it, the actor saying the lines will be challenged as well.

11.29.24 - This a hoot and a half ("Murder at the Panda Express" made me laugh out loud). David Hansen deftly captures the chaotic back and forth between the staff at the a neighborhood restaurant struggling through the pandemic. Multiple conversations, food orders, petty squabbling, sexual interludes, sniping, pissing, vaping, it's all there. You have to wonder how any business functions through this noise. And then the murder happens. This come off like Clue, but with appetizers. Loved this!