Recommended by Jessie Salsbury

  • Pressure Points
    6 Apr. 2022
    Wow. This is a sharp and fast paced 10 minute play. Highly uncomfortable to read, as it should be. Well crafted. The language used by Donegal is just crafty and should be very interesting for an actor to bite into. Brava.
  • Good Samaritan
    10 Mar. 2022
    Deb does a wonderful job at giving little breadcrumbs at the beginning that something is ‘off’ about this good samaritan- leading to a crackerjack of a monologue. A crisp, dark, 10 minute play.
  • Dive Buddies
    19 Feb. 2022
    This is a cracker jack of a short play that builds on tension until the very end. As always, Mike does a great job with creating characters and getting right to the heart of the story in his short plays. Well crafted and great potential for a creative team.
  • Sapience
    19 Feb. 2022
    I had the privilege of watching Sapience virtually as a production with the Moxie Theatre. This is a beautiful play that addresses language, communication, love and grief with such care and grace. I hope that this play is performed across the country as it deserves every success and award. Brava.
  • Inside Man
    13 Nov. 2021
    This is a fascinating work that encounters personal responsibility and our necessity to be accountable to ourselves and others. Solidly crafted and thoughtfully executed.
  • The Ghost of Sloe Gin Jeffritz
    13 Nov. 2021
    Mike is the best writer to watch and read if you want to learn how to set up a popping inciting incident. He sets up a story that holds a lesson in how secrets can be deadly, which was an interesting and haunting theme to explore within the context of this work. The drama is sharp and tension between the characters is strongly crafted. Looking forward to seeing this one fully staged and on its feet, there is a lot for actors to dig into here.
  • Slurry
    13 Nov. 2021
    I had the extreme privilege of seeing Slurry at the KC Fringe Fest in 2018. His play was met with favorable reviews and full houses during the festival. The play deals with the emotional fallout from an employee's development of a lung disease from workplace chemicals. The opening of the play starts like a firecracker and keeps running from there. As with many of Mike Rice's plays, he is able to capture common vernacular and create characters that are unforgettable and dramatic action that makes you hold your breath.
  • Burr Oak
    13 Nov. 2021
    Burr Oak is one of my favorite short plays, in that it so crisply and clearly encapsulates what the quarantine did to relationships by interrupting plans and goals. This play gives us the tension of relationships while adding the additional tension of Covid-19 while being fresh, interesting, and engaging. It certainly successfully captures the feelings of the time period.
  • We Are Blood
    3 Oct. 2021
    Had the privilege of watching this as part of KC PUBLIC’S theatre lab series. The audience was engaged and holding their breath in the final scenes. Ryan is an exceptional story teller and I look forward to a fully realized production of this glorious play. There is a lot for actors and technicians to mine in this script for inspiration.
  • Sock Puppet Fetish Noir
    8 Jun. 2020
    Kelly has an ability to draw the audience to a new and interesting story in a very short amount of time. The dialogue and topic are snappy and hilarious, and this work would be a great addition to fringe, a festival or 10 minute showcase. Kelly always surprises and this was a delightful journey.

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