Recommended by Aly Kantor

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    Contemporary internet horror is all about the vibes, and this short has vibes for days! Fans of the creepypasta genre will have a blast spotting all the little references (especially some of my beloved video game creepypastas). This play isn't just a series of gimmicks, however - it's populated with characters dealing with some serious grief, and the framing is metatheatrical and original, with an ending that's surprisingly wholesome! I love how the end recontextualizes the beginning!

    Contemporary internet horror is all about the vibes, and this short has vibes for days! Fans of the creepypasta genre will have a blast spotting all the little references (especially some of my beloved video game creepypastas). This play isn't just a series of gimmicks, however - it's populated with characters dealing with some serious grief, and the framing is metatheatrical and original, with an ending that's surprisingly wholesome! I love how the end recontextualizes the beginning!

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    Gender euphoria! And Aly euphoria! Damn, I loved this tiny play - it's clever, theatrical, AND trans affirming...and it would be absurdly easy to produce! Weirdly, I think it would even be educational for some audience members, and I anticipate a few university auditoriums turning into "the theatre that changes your gender" for some individuals (and GOOD FOR THEM!). Just an amazingly crafted and charming short!

    Gender euphoria! And Aly euphoria! Damn, I loved this tiny play - it's clever, theatrical, AND trans affirming...and it would be absurdly easy to produce! Weirdly, I think it would even be educational for some audience members, and I anticipate a few university auditoriums turning into "the theatre that changes your gender" for some individuals (and GOOD FOR THEM!). Just an amazingly crafted and charming short!

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    The real gift of this intimate speculative play is subtext, written by a playwright who clearly trusts and respects his audience. Heyman has built a world with clear rules, and tracking them kept me utterly engaged. Structurally, I loved the way each new act recontextualized the previous ones. The characters are great - specifically, it was very cool to see a story with a plural character at the center! This play has a great sonic palette, and would honestly make an awesome audio drama!

    The real gift of this intimate speculative play is subtext, written by a playwright who clearly trusts and respects his audience. Heyman has built a world with clear rules, and tracking them kept me utterly engaged. Structurally, I loved the way each new act recontextualized the previous ones. The characters are great - specifically, it was very cool to see a story with a plural character at the center! This play has a great sonic palette, and would honestly make an awesome audio drama!

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    I didn't expect to be able to describe a play about Lizzie Borden as "tender," but that's absolutely the first word that comes to mind when I think of this play, which is about the Fall River murderess AFTER her most notorious act. The piece moves deftly through time, from past to present, using theatrical doubling to beautiful (and sometimes horrific) effect. The script also leaves room for plenty of memorable stage pictures, as well as opportunities for dynamic design. Theatrical and intense!

    I didn't expect to be able to describe a play about Lizzie Borden as "tender," but that's absolutely the first word that comes to mind when I think of this play, which is about the Fall River murderess AFTER her most notorious act. The piece moves deftly through time, from past to present, using theatrical doubling to beautiful (and sometimes horrific) effect. The script also leaves room for plenty of memorable stage pictures, as well as opportunities for dynamic design. Theatrical and intense!

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    From page 1, I knew something wasn't quite right in the world of these characters, to the point where, as an audience member, I felt viscerally unsafe... and for good reason! This play, about pandemic-era loneliness (and, I would argue, modern loneliness in general), is a TRIP! I wish I didn't relate to Sarah, who is reaching out with all of the tools she has - she has a really spectacular monologue when her desperation becomes unbearable that had me nodding along. I support this woman's wrongs!

    From page 1, I knew something wasn't quite right in the world of these characters, to the point where, as an audience member, I felt viscerally unsafe... and for good reason! This play, about pandemic-era loneliness (and, I would argue, modern loneliness in general), is a TRIP! I wish I didn't relate to Sarah, who is reaching out with all of the tools she has - she has a really spectacular monologue when her desperation becomes unbearable that had me nodding along. I support this woman's wrongs!

  • Aly Kantor: Do You Party? by Megan Rivkin
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    The dialogue in this play sings - it's quick, realistic, full of subtext, and very funny... not to mention uncomfortable for anyone who has found themselves in poor Abby's shoes! If you don't yet understand what's so predatory about MLMs, this one play has the power to illustrate the way it makes victims out of everyone involved. It's subtle and almost voyeuristic, leaving the audience wishing they could stand up and intervene and save ALL of the women involved! It's gross, and I loved it!

    The dialogue in this play sings - it's quick, realistic, full of subtext, and very funny... not to mention uncomfortable for anyone who has found themselves in poor Abby's shoes! If you don't yet understand what's so predatory about MLMs, this one play has the power to illustrate the way it makes victims out of everyone involved. It's subtle and almost voyeuristic, leaving the audience wishing they could stand up and intervene and save ALL of the women involved! It's gross, and I loved it!

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  • Aly Kantor: Safe Harbor (A Ten-Minute Play) by James McLindon
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    I was lucky enough to see a production of this politically fraught, urgent play this weekend, and it was a moving experience. The world of the piece is populated by characters with strong, humanistic objectives that are nevertheless being thwarted by larger powers, and I applaud the twist, which placed people, not laws or institutions, back at the center of the story. The play moves quickly until the satisfying conclusion. I was left thinking about these characters and what comes next for them!

    I was lucky enough to see a production of this politically fraught, urgent play this weekend, and it was a moving experience. The world of the piece is populated by characters with strong, humanistic objectives that are nevertheless being thwarted by larger powers, and I applaud the twist, which placed people, not laws or institutions, back at the center of the story. The play moves quickly until the satisfying conclusion. I was left thinking about these characters and what comes next for them!

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  • Aly Kantor: THE BRIEF FALL OF SAINT JOAN by Monica Cross
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    Some figures, like St. Joan, are larger than life in the imagination. What playwrights like Monica Cross do beautifully is render them small and human, allowing audiences to feel with them and, for a time, bear the tremendous weight of decision. The verse in this play is gorgeous but, more importantly, effective in depicting Joan's inner crisis when the stakes are highest. Though it's a duologue, we can almost imagine it as a monologue as she wars with herself, making her decision transparent.

    Some figures, like St. Joan, are larger than life in the imagination. What playwrights like Monica Cross do beautifully is render them small and human, allowing audiences to feel with them and, for a time, bear the tremendous weight of decision. The verse in this play is gorgeous but, more importantly, effective in depicting Joan's inner crisis when the stakes are highest. Though it's a duologue, we can almost imagine it as a monologue as she wars with herself, making her decision transparent.

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  • Aly Kantor: Erstwhile by Jennifer O'Grady
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    This is a bleak premonition of a not-too-distant future, but it's filled with so much support and heart that readers will remember the brightness of these relationships over the darkness of the circumstances. The atmosphere does so much work in this play, with every tiny detail (from birthday muffins to homemade Scrabble boards) serving to illustrate the decline of the world outside of the room. Even the sound design does serious work in service of the metaphor. This short play gives me hope!

    This is a bleak premonition of a not-too-distant future, but it's filled with so much support and heart that readers will remember the brightness of these relationships over the darkness of the circumstances. The atmosphere does so much work in this play, with every tiny detail (from birthday muffins to homemade Scrabble boards) serving to illustrate the decline of the world outside of the room. Even the sound design does serious work in service of the metaphor. This short play gives me hope!

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  • Aly Kantor: This is All Very Normal by Mathew Green
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    From the start, you know something's not right, whether it's because you read the title or because you're sensitive to subtext. The words left unsaid take up so much space in this script, leaving you to fill in the blanks...but even if you do, the world-building that subtly and deftly creeps in will come as a surprise. From the moment the outside creeps in, the embers grow, and things escalate rapidly, building to a harrowing conclusion. This feels like the middle of an epic story, and I dig it!

    From the start, you know something's not right, whether it's because you read the title or because you're sensitive to subtext. The words left unsaid take up so much space in this script, leaving you to fill in the blanks...but even if you do, the world-building that subtly and deftly creeps in will come as a surprise. From the moment the outside creeps in, the embers grow, and things escalate rapidly, building to a harrowing conclusion. This feels like the middle of an epic story, and I dig it!

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