Recommended by Aly Kantor

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    A supremely absurd premise, but if you're willing to suspend all disbelief, you will have a wonderful romp in the dark world of this play! As silly as it is, it makes a point about people who move through the world obliviously, constructing realities that suit them rather than seeing the truth...which becomes complicated when you introduce a character whose power comes from being seen! Every character is uniquely broken and flawed. Lots of cool opportunities for design here, too!

    A supremely absurd premise, but if you're willing to suspend all disbelief, you will have a wonderful romp in the dark world of this play! As silly as it is, it makes a point about people who move through the world obliviously, constructing realities that suit them rather than seeing the truth...which becomes complicated when you introduce a character whose power comes from being seen! Every character is uniquely broken and flawed. Lots of cool opportunities for design here, too!

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    A subtle piece that lends two gender minority characters over 40 a stunning amount of interiority. The dialogue is natural, halting when it needs to be - but the honesty lives in the crevices between the words, making the subtext the star. I love how the form (a road trip) so naturally contains the action, as we drift from memory to memory during the drive, the past blending seamlessly with the present. It has the kind of surprising-but-inevitable emotional reversal I love. Really lovely!

    A subtle piece that lends two gender minority characters over 40 a stunning amount of interiority. The dialogue is natural, halting when it needs to be - but the honesty lives in the crevices between the words, making the subtext the star. I love how the form (a road trip) so naturally contains the action, as we drift from memory to memory during the drive, the past blending seamlessly with the present. It has the kind of surprising-but-inevitable emotional reversal I love. Really lovely!

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    I think most of us believe that, at some point, we'll wake up and feel like "real adults," but this play tenderly demonstrates that you can continue growing and developing at any age—even curmudgeonly Irv, who seems to have given up on the future after the loss of his wife. I love all of the humor in this play, and how subtle the transformation feels as we watch these two characters grow closer. It's lovely that older actors might get the opportunity to play spry, dimensional humans like these!

    I think most of us believe that, at some point, we'll wake up and feel like "real adults," but this play tenderly demonstrates that you can continue growing and developing at any age—even curmudgeonly Irv, who seems to have given up on the future after the loss of his wife. I love all of the humor in this play, and how subtle the transformation feels as we watch these two characters grow closer. It's lovely that older actors might get the opportunity to play spry, dimensional humans like these!

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    This play lit up so many portions of my brain, engaging me on a level I didn't realize was possible - and if it did that on the page, I can't imagine what it would do on the stage. I love it when a play is a poem, and love it more when a poem decomposes and isn't afraid to become hideous and hard to look at for a sec. The characters were lovable because they were terrible in all of the beautiful ways humans are terrible, making them relatable in a way that delighted and horrified me. Fantastic!

    This play lit up so many portions of my brain, engaging me on a level I didn't realize was possible - and if it did that on the page, I can't imagine what it would do on the stage. I love it when a play is a poem, and love it more when a poem decomposes and isn't afraid to become hideous and hard to look at for a sec. The characters were lovable because they were terrible in all of the beautiful ways humans are terrible, making them relatable in a way that delighted and horrified me. Fantastic!

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    The authenticity of the dialogue in this play is stunning and, when paired with the intimacy of the characters' relationships, makes reading it feel like an act of voyeurism. The cadences, which shift with familiarity or a lack thereof, reveal so much about the employees at Freeplay, too. The play made me think a lot about complacency in adulthood, and the ways we choose familiarity over happiness, and whether or not that's valid. I'm obsessed with the specificity of this world. Great work!

    The authenticity of the dialogue in this play is stunning and, when paired with the intimacy of the characters' relationships, makes reading it feel like an act of voyeurism. The cadences, which shift with familiarity or a lack thereof, reveal so much about the employees at Freeplay, too. The play made me think a lot about complacency in adulthood, and the ways we choose familiarity over happiness, and whether or not that's valid. I'm obsessed with the specificity of this world. Great work!

  • Aly Kantor: Serenade by Zach Barr
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    There is a stunning efficiency to this play, making it feel as composed and deliberate as the music that underscores the silent, powerful final scene. Every pairing of characters is so dynamic and complex, introducing new texture to every scene that came before and every scene that follows. And I love that this play isn't afraid of tackling one of the "big themes" and understands that the most epic of questions deserves a spare treatment that allows them to resonate and complicate and transform!

    There is a stunning efficiency to this play, making it feel as composed and deliberate as the music that underscores the silent, powerful final scene. Every pairing of characters is so dynamic and complex, introducing new texture to every scene that came before and every scene that follows. And I love that this play isn't afraid of tackling one of the "big themes" and understands that the most epic of questions deserves a spare treatment that allows them to resonate and complicate and transform!

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  • Aly Kantor: I Love You More by Sam Heyman
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    A very sweet, slice-of-life conversation between two rich, specific sibling characters who feel like they could have been plucked from a larger story. This entire play is the definition of 'sonder' - reading it (and, likely, watching it) feels like eavesdropping on something intimate. I recognize all of the dynamics in this play as a queer, American jew, and they feel authentic and true to life. Just lovely!

    A very sweet, slice-of-life conversation between two rich, specific sibling characters who feel like they could have been plucked from a larger story. This entire play is the definition of 'sonder' - reading it (and, likely, watching it) feels like eavesdropping on something intimate. I recognize all of the dynamics in this play as a queer, American jew, and they feel authentic and true to life. Just lovely!

    ”
  • Aly Kantor: ICE CREAM STOOL PIGEON by Steven G. Martin
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    This play had me at the puns, but by the time the ice cream slapping started, I was on the floor! I am obsessed with the ridiculously brilliant theatricality of putting a bowl of ice cream on stage as a character. This entire play is a charming, sticky mess that will be the bane of every stage manager's existence... and the delight of every audience member's! And , like so much good theatre, the production would be a little unique every performance! Just plain delightful... with a cherry on top!

    This play had me at the puns, but by the time the ice cream slapping started, I was on the floor! I am obsessed with the ridiculously brilliant theatricality of putting a bowl of ice cream on stage as a character. This entire play is a charming, sticky mess that will be the bane of every stage manager's existence... and the delight of every audience member's! And , like so much good theatre, the production would be a little unique every performance! Just plain delightful... with a cherry on top!

    ”
  • Aly Kantor: AWESOME LIKE CRINKLE CUT FRIES: A DIVINE COMEDY by Steven G. Martin
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    The use of language in this play is absolutely gorgeous, with a poetic, symmetrical sensibility you can feel in your body. It's a gorgeous, metatheatrical little exploration of change, quietly but insistently asking big questions about scale, expectations, and more. When must we complete a pattern for the sake of competition, and when is it better to walk away? Just as the definition of "awesome" has changed over the epochs, so can we, and what we believe in - and it starts at the top! Gorgeous!

    The use of language in this play is absolutely gorgeous, with a poetic, symmetrical sensibility you can feel in your body. It's a gorgeous, metatheatrical little exploration of change, quietly but insistently asking big questions about scale, expectations, and more. When must we complete a pattern for the sake of competition, and when is it better to walk away? Just as the definition of "awesome" has changed over the epochs, so can we, and what we believe in - and it starts at the top! Gorgeous!

    ”
  • Aly Kantor: The Resolution by Daniel Prillaman
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    Prillaman is expert at writing about the darkest parts of humanity, creating patently absurd stories that I relate to on a deep level. This is one such story, and, reader, it made me so, so anxious... because they are a master of tension, wielding humor and horror with an astounding deftness that should be studied! The emotional whiplash is non-stop, the character voices are deliciously specific, and it's nerdy as hell! I will be thinking about this one for a LONG time... with a knot in my gut!

    Prillaman is expert at writing about the darkest parts of humanity, creating patently absurd stories that I relate to on a deep level. This is one such story, and, reader, it made me so, so anxious... because they are a master of tension, wielding humor and horror with an astounding deftness that should be studied! The emotional whiplash is non-stop, the character voices are deliciously specific, and it's nerdy as hell! I will be thinking about this one for a LONG time... with a knot in my gut!

    ”