Recommended by Aly Kantor

  • Aly Kantor: The Wrong Man

    You can't rush through the stages of grief - unless, of course, you're on company time. When an agent of D.E.A.T.H arrives and offers Layla the chance to audit her partner's grisly demise, you think you'll be getting an It's A Wonderful Life-esque look at the highlight reel. Instead, Layla comes to learn that D.E.A.T.H does not often make mistakes. The ending is both surprising and inevitable and reaches a tense, exciting peak as the tables are turned. Creative staging helps bring this death-defying comedy to life!

    You can't rush through the stages of grief - unless, of course, you're on company time. When an agent of D.E.A.T.H arrives and offers Layla the chance to audit her partner's grisly demise, you think you'll be getting an It's A Wonderful Life-esque look at the highlight reel. Instead, Layla comes to learn that D.E.A.T.H does not often make mistakes. The ending is both surprising and inevitable and reaches a tense, exciting peak as the tables are turned. Creative staging helps bring this death-defying comedy to life!

  • Aly Kantor: Kill Shelter

    I go to the theatre because, somehow, that communal space always manages to give me permission to express my most repressed emotions. Considering I wept while reading this alone in my bedroom, I cannot imagine what it would have done to me if I'd seen it on stage. It's such an efficient, well-structured little narrative with so many challenging questions at the center, but it all comes down to love and doing the right thing. It's both difficult and hopeful, with an elegant simplicity. The open ending really works. I'm so glad I got to know these characters.

    I go to the theatre because, somehow, that communal space always manages to give me permission to express my most repressed emotions. Considering I wept while reading this alone in my bedroom, I cannot imagine what it would have done to me if I'd seen it on stage. It's such an efficient, well-structured little narrative with so many challenging questions at the center, but it all comes down to love and doing the right thing. It's both difficult and hopeful, with an elegant simplicity. The open ending really works. I'm so glad I got to know these characters.

  • Aly Kantor: true believer

    Somehow, this play emulates what it feels like to be a woman in America. It's easy, breezy, and atmospheric, full of lovable, complex, well-drawn characters, but there is constantly a sense of dread and danger lurking beneath the mundane chatter. Like our colorful cast, the reader is lulled into a false sense of security, convinced the danger exists, but it's somewhere else. The ending may be jarring, but it's heartbreaking and absolutely well-earned. The piece does a gorgeous job of putting humanity at the center of a complex issue. Really fantastic.

    Somehow, this play emulates what it feels like to be a woman in America. It's easy, breezy, and atmospheric, full of lovable, complex, well-drawn characters, but there is constantly a sense of dread and danger lurking beneath the mundane chatter. Like our colorful cast, the reader is lulled into a false sense of security, convinced the danger exists, but it's somewhere else. The ending may be jarring, but it's heartbreaking and absolutely well-earned. The piece does a gorgeous job of putting humanity at the center of a complex issue. Really fantastic.

  • Aly Kantor: POST OVERNIGHT DISTRESS

    These characters may start off as archetypal, but the sheer specificity of having a "lowercase bff" instantly added depth to this goofy mystery, and I was hooked from there! Once you start listening for "POD" references, you will become obsessed with finding them all! I started hearing a little bell in my brain every time one came up... which could be an interesting production choice, actually. I love the moment of realization at the end—and the hanging possibility of future [skydiving related?] escapades. This is a silly, engaging, and fun little prelude to a romance!

    These characters may start off as archetypal, but the sheer specificity of having a "lowercase bff" instantly added depth to this goofy mystery, and I was hooked from there! Once you start listening for "POD" references, you will become obsessed with finding them all! I started hearing a little bell in my brain every time one came up... which could be an interesting production choice, actually. I love the moment of realization at the end—and the hanging possibility of future [skydiving related?] escapades. This is a silly, engaging, and fun little prelude to a romance!

  • Aly Kantor: Abort: The Mission

    When I started this play, I said to myself "She's STARTING there? Where on earth is she going to go with this?" By now I should know enough about Lisa's work to trust that she's going to bring me to the world's most insane places... and that I'm going to enjoy the entire journey! This one had me laughing uproariously by page four. Despite the subject matter, the play is humorously self-referential and never preachy, with a painfully relatable protagonist. Hijinks abound, and the laughter never stops, but it's still sincere. Ultimately, it's a carefully structured, consistently cringeworthy...

    When I started this play, I said to myself "She's STARTING there? Where on earth is she going to go with this?" By now I should know enough about Lisa's work to trust that she's going to bring me to the world's most insane places... and that I'm going to enjoy the entire journey! This one had me laughing uproariously by page four. Despite the subject matter, the play is humorously self-referential and never preachy, with a painfully relatable protagonist. Hijinks abound, and the laughter never stops, but it's still sincere. Ultimately, it's a carefully structured, consistently cringeworthy delight!

  • Aly Kantor: Eternal Contrast

    Wow. Wow. Wow. This might have been the most uncomfortable I've ever felt reading a play—and since I go out of my way in search of subversive material, that is a major compliment! In an era in which the glorification of "the poor little meow meow" and "RPF" have begun to intersect in new and seemingly harmless ways, we're treated to a story that demonstrates precisely why your problematic fav is not really that cute. The pathetic absurdity of the final scene was SO effective. This play is tense, vivid, relevant, and makes you think! A fantastic play!

    Wow. Wow. Wow. This might have been the most uncomfortable I've ever felt reading a play—and since I go out of my way in search of subversive material, that is a major compliment! In an era in which the glorification of "the poor little meow meow" and "RPF" have begun to intersect in new and seemingly harmless ways, we're treated to a story that demonstrates precisely why your problematic fav is not really that cute. The pathetic absurdity of the final scene was SO effective. This play is tense, vivid, relevant, and makes you think! A fantastic play!

  • Aly Kantor: The Creature

    This play is terrifying and strange—an impossible, theatrical, speculative poem that could never happen and is already happening. The many questions it asks are fascinating at best and uncomfortable at worst—but as an embodied human being capable of reproduction, they were all equally harrowing and relevant to my life today. Even the most alien and unfamiliar aspects of the story came with a disquieting dose of deja vu (future nostalgia?). The biggest compliment I can pay this play is that it made me feel A LOT of things in a very brief (and somehow infinite) period of time.

    This play is terrifying and strange—an impossible, theatrical, speculative poem that could never happen and is already happening. The many questions it asks are fascinating at best and uncomfortable at worst—but as an embodied human being capable of reproduction, they were all equally harrowing and relevant to my life today. Even the most alien and unfamiliar aspects of the story came with a disquieting dose of deja vu (future nostalgia?). The biggest compliment I can pay this play is that it made me feel A LOT of things in a very brief (and somehow infinite) period of time.

  • Aly Kantor: Great Hollow

    In some ghost stories, the ghosts feel very far away from us - they're unremembered waifs hailing from a bygone generation. This play is proof that not every great ghost story needs a weeping specter in a Victorian gown. Instead, we get a suite of well-drawn characters with clear motivations - both living and dead. It's fascinating to watch the story unfold as we recognize how every thread is related. The piece is both profoundly sad and profoundly hopeful, leaving the reader with messages about breaking cycles and choosing not to be haunted by someone else's ghosts.

    In some ghost stories, the ghosts feel very far away from us - they're unremembered waifs hailing from a bygone generation. This play is proof that not every great ghost story needs a weeping specter in a Victorian gown. Instead, we get a suite of well-drawn characters with clear motivations - both living and dead. It's fascinating to watch the story unfold as we recognize how every thread is related. The piece is both profoundly sad and profoundly hopeful, leaving the reader with messages about breaking cycles and choosing not to be haunted by someone else's ghosts.

  • Aly Kantor: Let You Be Mine

    This creepy, poetic piece of immersive theatre isn't technically participatory. Still, I can promise audience members will be creating their own mental conspiracy boards as they pluck the juiciest plot berries from the bursting bushes outside this fully-realized haunted house. The layers of story are as compelling as the atmosphere, which only gets more sinister as the events play out. Horror theatre is hard, but I believe the genius of this piece is in the dark, uncanny intersection of the many specific details and all that's left to the imagination.

    This creepy, poetic piece of immersive theatre isn't technically participatory. Still, I can promise audience members will be creating their own mental conspiracy boards as they pluck the juiciest plot berries from the bursting bushes outside this fully-realized haunted house. The layers of story are as compelling as the atmosphere, which only gets more sinister as the events play out. Horror theatre is hard, but I believe the genius of this piece is in the dark, uncanny intersection of the many specific details and all that's left to the imagination.

  • Aly Kantor: Death Defying

    I am fascinated by the idea that no one can ever know another person completely - all clothing is costume, and all speech is a dialogue choice. This compelling meeting between circus acrobats focuses on etymology - the value of names as part of passing on stories and pursuing progress. What is lost when we allow someone else to name us? The compelling dialogue tells us much about these fascinating women, with a stunning, heartwarming reversal that left me with deep affection for both characters. It's never too late to dig into history and move forward with less ignorance!

    I am fascinated by the idea that no one can ever know another person completely - all clothing is costume, and all speech is a dialogue choice. This compelling meeting between circus acrobats focuses on etymology - the value of names as part of passing on stories and pursuing progress. What is lost when we allow someone else to name us? The compelling dialogue tells us much about these fascinating women, with a stunning, heartwarming reversal that left me with deep affection for both characters. It's never too late to dig into history and move forward with less ignorance!