Recommended by Tom Moran

  • Romeo & Juliet & Velociraptors
    5 Feb. 2024
    It's always fun to watch Shakespeare go sideways, seldom more so than in this delightful foray into sci-fi that lives up to the goofy promise of its title.
  • Exit Poll
    29 Jan. 2024
    A fast-paced, chaotic, very funny look at a modern election day. Does a great job of skewering pretty much everyone without avoiding some of the land mines of writing about politics. Would be great to see staged, especially the spectacle of the repeated technological failures.
  • Talkback
    28 Jan. 2024
    Accurately captures the well-meaning-but-often-totally-destructive nature of the talkback session. The genius of the piece is in the particular play being discussed (no spoilers!), but it also works on a universal level, exhibiting the human tendency to offer needless advice just to fill space. Eminently relatable, well-paced, and ends on a satisfying and appropriate note.
  • Idemo!
    27 Jan. 2024
    An thoroughly fun 20 minutes of bloody, pitch-black chaos, ending in a hilarious final scene. Rife with physical comedy and sight gags, it would be a hoot to see this staged.
  • Special Extra Treatment
    25 Jan. 2024
    A fun concept, well-executed. This would have worked perfectly well as a skit and seems headed that way, but the last three pages do a great job of defying expectations (as well as being quite hilarious in and of themselves!) and creating a wholly unexpected narrative arc. Well worth the read and would be great on stage as well.
  • THE WORLD'S WORST THEATERGOER: THE WORLD'S WORST MONOLOGUE
    25 Jan. 2024
    A fantastic concept strongly delivered. The titular theatergoer manages to both grate on everyone with their obnoxia but also serve as a reminder of what's great about theater, both in terms of what they actually say (especially the great final paragraph) and in their very existence. This works on two levels: as entertainment in itself, and as an inspiring lead-in for the content of the rest of the evening. It also helps break down the barrier between audience and performers and remind the crowd that theater is about everyone, including them. Well done.
  • Bridget's New Phone
    17 Jan. 2024
    Equal parts hilarious and chilling, Mandryk takes a fun premise and runs it to a conclusion that is both unexpected and perfectly reasonable. And its all done in a crisp, snarky voice firmly established through a few well-selected lines in the initial stages of the monologue. That is to say, a strong setup leading to an equally strong conclusion. Not to mention a part the right actress could really sink her teeth into.
  • A First-Draft Second-Rate Love Story
    14 Jan. 2024
    A thoroughly enjoyable meta-romp through a half-formed play. Great fun to watch the actors/characters struggle through before seizing control of their own destinies. If only all characters were so proactive.
  • God Learns of the Death of Harambe, 2016 (colorized)
    10 Jan. 2024
    I didn't expect this piece could live up to the great title, but it does. Crackling dialogue throughout, likeable and relatable characters, a great cameo and some great turns of phrase make this a breezy and fun read.
  • Edmund Fitzwater Doesn’t Have Any Answers for You
    9 Jan. 2024
    A tight, compelling piece that neatly straddles the line between sci-fi and horror. Bohannon does a great job building a mystery and never quite giving us the answer, leading to tension that escalates throughout. The central question of the piece - do we really want to be able to see into the future? - is not a new one, but putting that ability in the form of a mysterious 'Ask Jeeves'-style app makes for a absorbing contemporary twist.

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