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Toby Malone

Recommended by Toby Malone

  • Waiting for Host . . . oh. by Molly Wagner
    8 Oct. 2020
    “ A lovely, refreshing Waiting for Godot for Zoom, where two users wait for their host without any idea of who they are or what the meeting is for, interrupted by a curious zoom-bomber channel surfer. I love the lack of resolution but the intensely familiar take on a classic. Great work, Molly! ”
  • Textual Abuse by Cindi Sansone-Braff
    4 Oct. 2020
    “ A fast-moving, relatable story that is probably far too familiar to most modern daters, where silence in response to a text can lead to a spiral that can't be retracted. Particularly fun is asking Siri about decoding the text-speak abbreviations. I think we just witnessed a bullet dodged. ”
  • Forgive Me Cosmo, For I Have Sinned by Ruben Carbajal
    3 Oct. 2020
    “ A brilliantly structured monologue that you have to keep reminding yourself is entirely comprised of Cosmo headings, so well do they fit together. Particularly hilarious are the stage directions that guide us on this journey, and the 1-10 section finished me off. Impressive stuff. ”
  • Climbing the Corporate Bladder by John Busser
    3 Oct. 2020
    “ John Busser is right on the money once again with this sharp, snappy short that manages to both be filled with ribald puns and absurd situations while also maintaining a dignity befitting the corporate hierarchy. From the character names to the situation, where corporate underlings are ranked by importance based on the urinal they are allowed to use, and only when the boss's stream is going, to the truly Monty Python-esque notion of urine flowing for minutes on end, this is a riot from start to finish. ”
  • The Swear Club by Justin Guidroz
    2 Oct. 2020
    “ A joyous roller-coaster ride of proto-swears that evolves catastrophically into the real deal, with a group of middle schoolers awaiting their fate after being caught using blue language in the schoolyard. Moves a mile a minute, always teetering on the edge of going entirely off the rails, replete with the injustice of being busted for another kid's actions. Delightful! ”
  • Ruby's Baby Blue by TJ Young
    2 Oct. 2020
    “ Sometimes you get the opportunity to rewind right back to the beginning of an admired playwright's career, to see what they have built early on that has led them to where we are now. 'Ruby's Baby Blue' is a very early play for TJ Young, written at school, but you can see the early seeds of his muscular, familial style that makes later plays like 'Dark Skinned Pavement' and 'Lyon's Den' so important. Here we see a master playwright when he was an apprentice, feeling his way towards his strengths, while still creating a nonetheless compelling narrative. Watch this guy. ”
  • And Shahrazad Broke Off . . . by Maximillian Gill
    2 Oct. 2020
    “ Stories bind us, they transport us, they soothe us. In typical Max Gill style, the Thousand and One Nights transform into a different kind of survival tool as Aleppo endures the violence of 2016 siege. With humanity, care, and hope, oft-told stories distract, they charm, they offer the potential of better times. As Amir distracts Khadija from the inevitability that her husband is likely not coming back, the stories push that off for just a little while. Lovely as ever. ”
  • Methtacular! by Steven Strafford
    2 Oct. 2020
    “ An incredibly raw, honest, open, and very funny account of addiction that is way more charming than it has any right to be. Steven Stafford opens right up and lays himself out for the audience to see in a manner that is cathartic and cautionary. With songs, jokes, and flair, this is a one-man tour de force. ”
  • AFFINITY LUNCH MINUTES by Nick Malakhow
    2 Oct. 2020
    “ As always, Nick Malakhow comes through with a powerful, muscular work that interrogates difficult subjects with an unrelenting eye. This tense, wise piece examines academic politics and the price of (and the power of) doing "right" when you are up against a machine so entrenched that success is a far-off hope. Particularly inspired is the setting in a private Quaker school, giving Malakhow the opportunity to probe at the edges of what Meeting for Worship offers to characters with trauma and stress bubbling just below the surface. As always, Malakhow is creating memorable, outstanding work here. ”
  • BY THE NEON LIGHTS OF THE TACO BELL SIGN by Monica Cross
    1 Oct. 2020
    “ Monica Cross's reliably grounded, snappy characters ooze with personality at the best of times: here, she not only manages to create tension and mystery in the soothing touch of Trinity, but has succeeded in making this humble reader all kinds of hungry. A lovely piece. ”

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