Recommended by John Busser

  • John Busser: Prom Night

    Bruce Karp never fails to make me laugh and this play is no exception. Taking car safety features to the hilariously logical extreme, he envisions a car that is the ultimate cock block. I would love to see this staged for an audience of parents who will have had possible thoughts on the same thing (protecting the sexual integrity of their sons and daughters), but who also who might just identify a little bit with the characters themselves.

    Bruce Karp never fails to make me laugh and this play is no exception. Taking car safety features to the hilariously logical extreme, he envisions a car that is the ultimate cock block. I would love to see this staged for an audience of parents who will have had possible thoughts on the same thing (protecting the sexual integrity of their sons and daughters), but who also who might just identify a little bit with the characters themselves.

  • John Busser: Everybody Loves A Star

    Playing to the audience in such a meta fashion gives this look at a woman unable to let go of past fame a touching, yet surreal quality. She thinks she's playing to the crowd, the actor portraying her KNOWS she is playing to one, while the other character doesn't and the actor does at the same time. It's weirdly self-referential and all the more fascinating because of it. And while this is a fiction, just like in real life, some people are never able to move on. This is smart stuff.

    Playing to the audience in such a meta fashion gives this look at a woman unable to let go of past fame a touching, yet surreal quality. She thinks she's playing to the crowd, the actor portraying her KNOWS she is playing to one, while the other character doesn't and the actor does at the same time. It's weirdly self-referential and all the more fascinating because of it. And while this is a fiction, just like in real life, some people are never able to move on. This is smart stuff.

  • John Busser: How to Pill a Cat in Three Easy Steps

    I don't own a cat, and I'm sure if I did, my life would be filled with lots of bandages, but thanks to this wonderfully hilarious monologue, I have learned one of the most important human-cat interaction rituals. Like the best YouTube instructional videos, this monologue is precise, informative, ENTERTAINING AS ALL HELL, and no longer than it needs to be. I'm a dog person and I'd still love to see this performed.

    I don't own a cat, and I'm sure if I did, my life would be filled with lots of bandages, but thanks to this wonderfully hilarious monologue, I have learned one of the most important human-cat interaction rituals. Like the best YouTube instructional videos, this monologue is precise, informative, ENTERTAINING AS ALL HELL, and no longer than it needs to be. I'm a dog person and I'd still love to see this performed.

  • John Busser: Closedbook

    At first I was hooked by the premise, but suddenly the characters were making me smile, after that some really clever humor got me laughing out loud, and THEN the real brains behind this interaction showed themselves. This play was like an onion, revealing a new layer almost with every page. I loved it.

    At first I was hooked by the premise, but suddenly the characters were making me smile, after that some really clever humor got me laughing out loud, and THEN the real brains behind this interaction showed themselves. This play was like an onion, revealing a new layer almost with every page. I loved it.

  • John Busser: 38 Cookies, 39 Reasons [a monologue]

    An amazingly on-target way of showing how double-edged our relationship with ourselves can sometimes be. People can both treat ands punish themselves at the same time, and Steve Martin creates a mesmerizing way to bring this idea to life. I defy anyone to not be hooked on the first bite.

    An amazingly on-target way of showing how double-edged our relationship with ourselves can sometimes be. People can both treat ands punish themselves at the same time, and Steve Martin creates a mesmerizing way to bring this idea to life. I defy anyone to not be hooked on the first bite.

  • John Busser: The Last Beans in the Box

    Trying new things is sometimes a painful step, and this is beautifully brought to hilarious life by two of Evan Baughfman's stranger creations, the disgustingly flavored VOMIT and BOOGER, jelly beans aching to be eaten in a world where no one goes for those sorts of flavors. Wanting to see what all the fuss is about, BOOGER wants to chow down on the recently deceased but still tasty BLUEBERRY. And here we learn something about the reward of not just doing what's expected of you, but finding a new purpose. There's hidden depth in this box.

    Trying new things is sometimes a painful step, and this is beautifully brought to hilarious life by two of Evan Baughfman's stranger creations, the disgustingly flavored VOMIT and BOOGER, jelly beans aching to be eaten in a world where no one goes for those sorts of flavors. Wanting to see what all the fuss is about, BOOGER wants to chow down on the recently deceased but still tasty BLUEBERRY. And here we learn something about the reward of not just doing what's expected of you, but finding a new purpose. There's hidden depth in this box.

  • John Busser: NIXIN' NIXON (10 Minute Play)

    The punchline of this play is one of those endings so perfect I'm tempted to tell you what it is. But that would deprive you of a hilarious setup for that perfect punchline. Elisabeth Speckman gives us two wonderful characters that build chaotically on the idea that a framed picture will absolutely ruin the love life of one of them. The arrived upon solution is genius. I burst out laughing at it. And so will an audience.

    The punchline of this play is one of those endings so perfect I'm tempted to tell you what it is. But that would deprive you of a hilarious setup for that perfect punchline. Elisabeth Speckman gives us two wonderful characters that build chaotically on the idea that a framed picture will absolutely ruin the love life of one of them. The arrived upon solution is genius. I burst out laughing at it. And so will an audience.

  • John Busser: Two Yards of Satan

    This is, hands down, the funniest thing I've read today! I ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT! The plot, the dialogue, the escalation, the Devil himself! This play had it all. I could go on and on, but I don't have to. This play should be produced immediately. If not sooner.

    This is, hands down, the funniest thing I've read today! I ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT! The plot, the dialogue, the escalation, the Devil himself! This play had it all. I could go on and on, but I don't have to. This play should be produced immediately. If not sooner.

  • John Busser: For The Masses

    What goes around, comes around as Alice Josephs shows in this smart look at what makes or breaks art in our politicized times. The real shame of the story here is that while one man's potential future may have been scuttled through the shameful behavior of another, both their lives take a downward turn. And even more unsettling is when we are shown two more vultures looking to take this story and make it into an opportunity for themselves. This is dark stuff with some real bite. Terrific.

    What goes around, comes around as Alice Josephs shows in this smart look at what makes or breaks art in our politicized times. The real shame of the story here is that while one man's potential future may have been scuttled through the shameful behavior of another, both their lives take a downward turn. And even more unsettling is when we are shown two more vultures looking to take this story and make it into an opportunity for themselves. This is dark stuff with some real bite. Terrific.

  • John Busser: She's Totally Killing It

    Well that's how you subvert expectations and stand out from the blood soaked horror crowd! What a darkly funny piece on how the final girl trope can say something about stepping up and taking charge in a new way. A great addition to any Halloween horror show.

    Well that's how you subvert expectations and stand out from the blood soaked horror crowd! What a darkly funny piece on how the final girl trope can say something about stepping up and taking charge in a new way. A great addition to any Halloween horror show.