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Tom Moran

Recommended by Tom Moran

  • First Date 2099 by Mike Byham
    5 Jan. 2024
    “ Bureaucracy and romance are strange bedfellows, no more so than in this fractured look at love in an age of heavy regulations. A fun concept and an engaging read; especially noteworthy is the overly formal phrasing employed throughout, which gives the impression these characters haven't just bought into the system but have been fundamentally changed by it over the last 3/4 century. ”
  • To The Moon! by Lisa Dellagiarino Feriend
    4 Jan. 2024
    “ An entertaining look at how much a little white lie can backfire. "To the Moon!" takes the audience along for a ridiculous ride. Feriend mixes in just enough believability to sell the absurd premise, and does an excellent job bouncing the characters of the rocksteady astronauts with that of her spectacularly nervy hero. Good fun. ”
  • It's Just a Couch by Debbie Lamedman
    2 Jan. 2024
    “ Sometimes our smaller decisions are proxies for our larger ones, and nowhere is this more in evidence than this nuanced depiction of a relationship in trouble. A very relatable piece that somehow has an air of finality about it even while not offering a pat resolution. ”
  • The Experience by Clinton Festa
    1 Jan. 2024
    “ I heard this on the "Stories Found" podcast and greatly enjoyed it. It takes a fun, thought-provoking idea and plays it out to a logical and quite funny conclusion, building to an ending that is both counterintuitive and entirely appropriate. A great way to spend ten minutes. ”
  • The Ambassador; or: the Disarmament of Nuclear Weapons by Ricardo Soltero-Brown
    31 Dec. 2023
    “ Two ambassadors tasked with nuclear disarmament quibble about anything but. I can't decide whether this piece is silly or deeply nuanced, but ultimately it's a grab bag of both: a deeply funny interaction between two ridiculous and petty men, and a microcosm of all the stupid things that get in the way of actual progress. Either way it's great fun, full of absurd moments and wonderful turns of phrase. ”
  • TOADS!!! (an amphibious nativity play) by Jillian Blevins
    29 Dec. 2023
    “ What an utterly bizarre, engrossing, hysterical piece. Surprising, mystifying, beguiling, this is one of the best Christmas plays I've ever read, mostly because it (seemingly?) doesn't have very much to do with Christmas. Jumps right off the page, though seems like it would be a bit of a challenge to actually stage. ”
  • Spam Calls from Hell by Brian Rust
    26 Dec. 2023
    “ Had the pleasure of hearing this on the Stories Found podcast. What a ride! Unpredictable, absurd, both deeply funny and satisfyingly chilling. As great as the main plotline is, though, my favorite part of the play was the cascade of nonsensical spam call menu options, several of which made me laugh out loud. ”
  • Textual Abuse by Cindi Sansone-Braff
    26 Dec. 2023
    “ The expectation of instant responses to texts is one of the more vexing developments of the last decade or so, and the author tackles it full tilt with this sadly believable play. Something like this has happened to all of us, which makes for a piece that's both relatable and a bit disturbing. An engaging read that would be fun to see staged in all of its dyspeptic glory. ”
  • Tripping on Xanax at a Mumford & Sons Concert by David Lipschutz
    24 Dec. 2023
    “ A sweet slice-of-life piece that ends with a well-earned warm fuzzy. Lipschutz sets us up for a derisive encounter that turns instead into a tender and affirming one, with some great laughs along the way. And a very catchy title. ”
  • Leave It by William J. Goodwin
    23 Dec. 2023
    “ What a fascinating and clever conceit. Goodwin takes a family's personal story of heartbreak and universalizes it by making it about one of America's most beloved (and wholesome) sitcom clans. This well-crafted piece really hits home. Also, perfect title. ”

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