Recommended by Aly Kantor

  • Aly Kantor: Bandera, Texas

    This hilarious, heartfelt, effortlessly theatrical play is full of stunning roles for women that put motherhood at the forefront of the story. I'm amazed by how much I knew and understood about these quirky, lovable, and realistically flawed characters on page one! As always, Lisa's dialogue is smooth, realistic, and laugh-out-loud hilarious, and the specificity of the worlds that she creates continues to blow my mind. The piece comes full circle in such a beautiful and satisfying way. I was laughing and tearing up at the same time by "end of play." Someone produce this already, dangit!

    This hilarious, heartfelt, effortlessly theatrical play is full of stunning roles for women that put motherhood at the forefront of the story. I'm amazed by how much I knew and understood about these quirky, lovable, and realistically flawed characters on page one! As always, Lisa's dialogue is smooth, realistic, and laugh-out-loud hilarious, and the specificity of the worlds that she creates continues to blow my mind. The piece comes full circle in such a beautiful and satisfying way. I was laughing and tearing up at the same time by "end of play." Someone produce this already, dangit!

  • Aly Kantor: the wild ones

    This is a play for anyone who fell in love with Little Women the way that Jo "fell in love" with Professor Bhaer - for every queer kid who got so tired of searching for the queerness in "universal stories" that they said "Found it. I guess this is enough," and let it sustain them. This piece is a quiet, chaotic primal scream of truth and theatricality, and I am so glad it exists because so many girls are going to find themselves somewhere in this play.

    This is a play for anyone who fell in love with Little Women the way that Jo "fell in love" with Professor Bhaer - for every queer kid who got so tired of searching for the queerness in "universal stories" that they said "Found it. I guess this is enough," and let it sustain them. This piece is a quiet, chaotic primal scream of truth and theatricality, and I am so glad it exists because so many girls are going to find themselves somewhere in this play.

  • Aly Kantor: Cinnamon

    Oh, gosh - poor Andy! I think anyone who has ever worked in service has experienced the combination of urgency and agitation to be found in this short comedy! This clever play combines very human needs with a very needy human, creating wonderful tension and urgency in an otherwise mundane scenario! This is a quick and effective short piece that is sure to have the audience laughing, cringing, and relating - and possibly craving a latte with a sprinkle of cinnamon on top!

    Oh, gosh - poor Andy! I think anyone who has ever worked in service has experienced the combination of urgency and agitation to be found in this short comedy! This clever play combines very human needs with a very needy human, creating wonderful tension and urgency in an otherwise mundane scenario! This is a quick and effective short piece that is sure to have the audience laughing, cringing, and relating - and possibly craving a latte with a sprinkle of cinnamon on top!

  • Aly Kantor: The Tragedy of Daughters and Sons

    I was lucky enough to be involved in a workshop of this hilarious locked-room murder mystery! It is full of quick and witty dialogue, physical comedy, and colorful characters! While the solution is satisfying, the real fun comes from the banter and rapport of the large ensemble cast. This would be an excellent choice for a high school or a group of young performers just getting started with making strong choices on stage. I particularly appreciated the rich, 1920s atmosphere and many great roles for women and girls!

    I was lucky enough to be involved in a workshop of this hilarious locked-room murder mystery! It is full of quick and witty dialogue, physical comedy, and colorful characters! While the solution is satisfying, the real fun comes from the banter and rapport of the large ensemble cast. This would be an excellent choice for a high school or a group of young performers just getting started with making strong choices on stage. I particularly appreciated the rich, 1920s atmosphere and many great roles for women and girls!

  • Aly Kantor: Messages

    There is something so compelling and even meta about this short climate play! Our protagonist seems to understand that the way to attract attention to the world's problems is through stories, and George Sapio has done just that. He lured me in with a premise about messages in bottles and then sneakily presented the grittier reality underneath. I really think this piece could be the catalyst that makes the ugly effects of late-stage capitalism real for audiences. Best of all, we're left with a sense that the situation, dire as it is, may not be hopeless.

    There is something so compelling and even meta about this short climate play! Our protagonist seems to understand that the way to attract attention to the world's problems is through stories, and George Sapio has done just that. He lured me in with a premise about messages in bottles and then sneakily presented the grittier reality underneath. I really think this piece could be the catalyst that makes the ugly effects of late-stage capitalism real for audiences. Best of all, we're left with a sense that the situation, dire as it is, may not be hopeless.

  • Aly Kantor: CATALYST

    This short but effective piece is loaded with quick, specific dialogue, but we learn just as much from what is left unsaid. This play shines in the negative space, with a beautiful sense of poetry and movement. As these two characters banter, we come to understand the important role of community in survival during a dynamic moment in queer history. I loved watching Chris and Eva go from awkward to intimate, then from authentic to obedient. This play is incredibly human and would make a fantastic vehicle for two very in-sync actors.

    This short but effective piece is loaded with quick, specific dialogue, but we learn just as much from what is left unsaid. This play shines in the negative space, with a beautiful sense of poetry and movement. As these two characters banter, we come to understand the important role of community in survival during a dynamic moment in queer history. I loved watching Chris and Eva go from awkward to intimate, then from authentic to obedient. This play is incredibly human and would make a fantastic vehicle for two very in-sync actors.

  • Aly Kantor: We Are Cranston

    I'm not a "sports person," so when I downloaded this play, I wasn't sure what to expect - sure enough, about one page in I had tears in my eyes... from laughter! This absurd premise just keeps getting more delightfully ridiculous as the details are revealed - I can imagine an entire audience squirming and cringing along with these poor football players! At its core, this play is a dark mediation about dreams deferred and the lengths some people will go through for five minutes of satisfaction. Audiences will walk out of theatres chatting about this one for sure!

    I'm not a "sports person," so when I downloaded this play, I wasn't sure what to expect - sure enough, about one page in I had tears in my eyes... from laughter! This absurd premise just keeps getting more delightfully ridiculous as the details are revealed - I can imagine an entire audience squirming and cringing along with these poor football players! At its core, this play is a dark mediation about dreams deferred and the lengths some people will go through for five minutes of satisfaction. Audiences will walk out of theatres chatting about this one for sure!

  • Aly Kantor: Music of the Mind

    Oh, what a wonderful world it would be if we were all a little more like Charles from this stunning little play! In this vignette between two siblings, the older brother chooses to believe in his sister's experience of the world rather than denying her unique reality - and that, I think, is the definition of love. The piece uses simple but rich language to evoke the peaceful outdoor setting. The dialogue is sweet and natural, and the piece ends with a memorable final image. This play is truly gentle and kind - there is so much heart here. Lovely.

    Oh, what a wonderful world it would be if we were all a little more like Charles from this stunning little play! In this vignette between two siblings, the older brother chooses to believe in his sister's experience of the world rather than denying her unique reality - and that, I think, is the definition of love. The piece uses simple but rich language to evoke the peaceful outdoor setting. The dialogue is sweet and natural, and the piece ends with a memorable final image. This play is truly gentle and kind - there is so much heart here. Lovely.

  • Aly Kantor: That Kiss

    The world is ripe with stories of individuals who "always knew they were different," but not as many stories about people discovering their queerness later in life. In this pleasantly wacky two-hander, both characters have such strong and consistent points of view. The quick, hilarious dialogue makes you feel for both of them... for different reasons! The playwright makes you cringe, but also makes you care. This simple, effective short play leaves you questioning where these characters will end up after it ends - which is a sign of strong characterization. It's a wonderful showcase for two...

    The world is ripe with stories of individuals who "always knew they were different," but not as many stories about people discovering their queerness later in life. In this pleasantly wacky two-hander, both characters have such strong and consistent points of view. The quick, hilarious dialogue makes you feel for both of them... for different reasons! The playwright makes you cringe, but also makes you care. This simple, effective short play leaves you questioning where these characters will end up after it ends - which is a sign of strong characterization. It's a wonderful showcase for two dynamic actresses!

  • Aly Kantor: Going through Hell

    This play is a compelling, tightly constructed, specific take on the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice that plays with time and structure in masterful ways. The dialogue in act one is so very human, and transitions to a more poetic style as it moves into Hell. There are so many beautiful, resonant moments throughout - the repetition of dialogue, themes, images. This is a gorgeous exploration of what it means to be alive that is cleverly disguised as a play about death. Best of all, it will allow ALL audience members to find themselves on stage and in myth.

    This play is a compelling, tightly constructed, specific take on the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice that plays with time and structure in masterful ways. The dialogue in act one is so very human, and transitions to a more poetic style as it moves into Hell. There are so many beautiful, resonant moments throughout - the repetition of dialogue, themes, images. This is a gorgeous exploration of what it means to be alive that is cleverly disguised as a play about death. Best of all, it will allow ALL audience members to find themselves on stage and in myth.