Recommended by Aly Kantor

There is a gorgeous specificity to these characters that instantly makes them recognizable - as specific as they are, you KNOW them from page one. It makes it so easy to get invested in this intimate family drama, in which a box of letters turns an already strained relationship on its head. The dialogue is natural and, for the lucky actors, imminently actable, leaving room for bold choices from beat to beat. The simple staging allows the characters to remain the stars of the show, making it a fantastic vehicle for performers.

When you choose parenthood, you are engaging in an act of creation, and as in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, you must accept that the life you create ceases to become yours once it opens its eyes. This eldritch horror story for the stage is compelling because, despite the prophecies and mad science, it's painfully, profoundly human (and did I mention riotously funny?). Every twist and turn is carefully planned with an impressive level of skill, putting the audience in the shoes of the characters as the world falls out beneath them again and again. Subversive, hopefully, sharp, and strange! Loved it!

I caught a performance of this memorable piece at Gi60 2024, and audiences loved it! The dialogue was sharp, funny, and relatable, providing ample opportunities for the performers to make strong character choices—impressive given the length of the play! The final twist, paired with an evocative sight gag, is gorgeously set up and really makes you feel for two women you've known for less than 60 seconds! A tight, complete, funny, and ultimately bittersweet play, masterfully crafted!

I had the pleasure of seeing this play performed during Gi60 NYC. If you think this spooky tale is great on the page, it's phenomenal on the stage—when the ball appeared, I got chills! Talk about an effective stage picture! Plus, the script is high-energy with a fantastic reversal, sustaining tension for one high-octane minute of supernatural splendor! It was definitely a highlight!

If you're looking for a script with specific, well-drawn, recognizable, complex, and realistic roles for teens (especially teen girls), this is your play. This ghost story nails the weird experience of grieving friendships even when your friends are sitting across the cafeteria - plus, it grapples with so many other dimensions of grief, guilt, and regret. The driving mystery is compelling and keeps the action moving, even as interpersonal relationships take center stage. The truths in this play are nuanced, the characters are morally complex, and it never condescends, despite being for and about teens. A fantastic piece of theatre!

Reader, when I figured out what was going on in this clever and terrifying play, I audibly squealed. This short is a dark treat for nerds and those who love them—a nightmare scenario for anyone who struggles with intrusive thoughts or the concept of thought crime (the reason I, personally, could never play an evil DnD character)—though I love the implication that the right outlet can save a person. Writers, in particular, will be able to relate to this uncanny conundrum and the feeling of torturing a character who you love... often BECAUSE you love them. Great stuff!

What a poetic, satisfying little gem of a play—and those who know Gatton's work get an extra level of satisfaction as they figure out where this "puzzle piece" fits into his larger body of moving, quirky, gorgeous, and timely work. Curiosity and confusion give way to profound sadness, which gives way to hope, all in ten pages of surprisingly spare dialogue. Gatton trusts the audience to "put the pieces together" and construct the story of this family. I love the sense of play in the early staging choices, the intimate relationships, and the way it comes full circle.

I saw this tight, hilarious, and very clever play performed at the Long Beach Short Play Festival, and it was undoubtedly a crowd favorite! Without giving anything away, it was filled with reversal after reversal, keeping audiences on their toes as they leaned forward in their seats, trying to figure out the truth before poor Steve! It was snappy, funny, easily staged, and incredibly effective. Highly recommended for anyone looking for a clever, timely not-so-romantic comedy for their ten-minute play festival!

How much agency do we have in our own stories—and when there are multiple witnesses (including children and people living with addiction), who gets to determine the "truth?" This play-within-a-play-within-a-memory-within-a-play-within-a-life is a brave and compelling deconstruction of the family drama, full of bold theatricality and haunting stage pictures. It's a cleverly framed meditation on memory and trauma, how we arrive at the truth, and the theatre of concealing the parts we can't face. You will laugh one minute and ache the next, even as you scramble to assemble your own "truth" out of the brilliant chaos on the stage.

This play starts off with a bang (and a moan), introducing us to two brilliant, surprisingly complimentary characters whose quirky, shockingly human dialogue draws you into their ambitions and neuroses without a hitch. I love it when plays about technology are profoundly human, and this piece is undeniably about messy, yearning, vindictive, lovable people. It's a fascinating story showing the impact of wealth and status on altruism and kindness, relevant in our tech, surveillance, and consumption focused world. The ethics at the center of the story are fascinating and engaging as hell, but the conclusion is still warm and satisfying!