Recommended by Aly Kantor

  • Aly Kantor: True Skies

    Surviving grief takes as much humor and imagination as it does pain. In True Skies, we meet a couple standing on the precipice of a tremendous loss. Their love makes it possible for them to confront and accept the future with something like joy. The piece is full of gorgeous and metaphorically resonant imagery that makes the world feel incredibly rich and tangible. The specificity of the characters makes them so very human, which might be the key to this play's emotional power. The play comes full circle in a satisfying, hopeful, and genuinely moving way.

    Surviving grief takes as much humor and imagination as it does pain. In True Skies, we meet a couple standing on the precipice of a tremendous loss. Their love makes it possible for them to confront and accept the future with something like joy. The piece is full of gorgeous and metaphorically resonant imagery that makes the world feel incredibly rich and tangible. The specificity of the characters makes them so very human, which might be the key to this play's emotional power. The play comes full circle in a satisfying, hopeful, and genuinely moving way.

  • Aly Kantor: 1101 WELLINGTON WAY - DUOLOGUE (from the MAD FOR MYSTERY Collection)

    Another delightful, self-contained mini mystery from Ms. Lermond! In this case, the piece plays with biases and expectations to help the murderer hide in plain sight! These dueling monologues are well structured, and sneakily provide you with all of the information you need in order to crack the case! Both characters are specific and distinct and would be a blast to play!

    Another delightful, self-contained mini mystery from Ms. Lermond! In this case, the piece plays with biases and expectations to help the murderer hide in plain sight! These dueling monologues are well structured, and sneakily provide you with all of the information you need in order to crack the case! Both characters are specific and distinct and would be a blast to play!

  • It's amazing how a metaphor can sometimes get to the heart of something so much more efficiently than words alone! In this play, anxiety is made tangible in the form of a talking bear. The fact that the bear both keeps Alice safe and holds her back was a particularly brilliant observation - this entire play could be about the split second before an anxious person cancels plans. I hope people without anxiety will see this play and come to understand and empathize with this feeling. As a person with anxiety, I felt seen and understood. A very effective play!

    It's amazing how a metaphor can sometimes get to the heart of something so much more efficiently than words alone! In this play, anxiety is made tangible in the form of a talking bear. The fact that the bear both keeps Alice safe and holds her back was a particularly brilliant observation - this entire play could be about the split second before an anxious person cancels plans. I hope people without anxiety will see this play and come to understand and empathize with this feeling. As a person with anxiety, I felt seen and understood. A very effective play!

  • Aly Kantor: The Land of Submarines / The Octopus's Garden (In The Limelight: Short Plays for Large Casts -- Volume 2: New Classics))

    This collection of two plays starts off with a bang and quickly becomes an undersea adventure! In these strange pandemic times, I feel most kids will be able to relate to the young adventurers in 'The Land of Submaries' as they escape a dangerous world - but it IS an escape, full of funny, fascinating creatures! 'The Octopus's Garden' is a magical, musical story about a family feud - like R&J for kids! From an educator's perspective, the clear character types will do a LOT to help young and/or inexperienced actors make strong choices!

    This collection of two plays starts off with a bang and quickly becomes an undersea adventure! In these strange pandemic times, I feel most kids will be able to relate to the young adventurers in 'The Land of Submaries' as they escape a dangerous world - but it IS an escape, full of funny, fascinating creatures! 'The Octopus's Garden' is a magical, musical story about a family feud - like R&J for kids! From an educator's perspective, the clear character types will do a LOT to help young and/or inexperienced actors make strong choices!

  • Aly Kantor: She Sells Sea-Shells

    Oh my goodness! There must be dozens of recent drama school graduates out there who have been training their entire lives to play Logan! This is such a fun little vignette that uses tongue twisters to incredible dramatic effect! I can imagine the giggles from the audience as the shells continue to pile up leading to the inevitable conclusion! As goofy as this piece may be, the payoff at the end is more than worth it!

    Oh my goodness! There must be dozens of recent drama school graduates out there who have been training their entire lives to play Logan! This is such a fun little vignette that uses tongue twisters to incredible dramatic effect! I can imagine the giggles from the audience as the shells continue to pile up leading to the inevitable conclusion! As goofy as this piece may be, the payoff at the end is more than worth it!

  • Aly Kantor: Cold Dead Heart

    This punny romance is just as heartwarming and life-affirming as it is hilarious - what a sweet reminder that we can't possibly see ourselves the way others do! I loved the use of light in this piece, and I think it would be just as much fun for designers as it would be for actors!

    This punny romance is just as heartwarming and life-affirming as it is hilarious - what a sweet reminder that we can't possibly see ourselves the way others do! I loved the use of light in this piece, and I think it would be just as much fun for designers as it would be for actors!

  • Aly Kantor: Death's Defeat

    Wow, I was not prepared for the emotional punch that this tiny, incredibly effective play served. As one of the kids who spent early adolescence hiding from trauma in magical places - who later grew up to become a teacher and saw school violence from the other side - this piece hit home. A few lines in there really walloped me - particularly the line about the backpack armor. These words are important. I'm grateful they're out in the universe but I wish they didn't have to be.

    Wow, I was not prepared for the emotional punch that this tiny, incredibly effective play served. As one of the kids who spent early adolescence hiding from trauma in magical places - who later grew up to become a teacher and saw school violence from the other side - this piece hit home. A few lines in there really walloped me - particularly the line about the backpack armor. These words are important. I'm grateful they're out in the universe but I wish they didn't have to be.

  • Aly Kantor: Demon Bitch Goddess

    This is a beautiful evening of theatre, consisting of three sometimes silly, sometimes devastating one-acts loaded with excellent roles - especially notable for its strong, dynamic roles for older women. The plays are completely distinct, but each one has at least one reference to Greek mythology at its center. Every single play has at least one laugh-out-loud line that will stick with you, and multiple sweet, genuine moments. I am sure you will fall in love with the well-drawn, unique characters you will meet in every single play!

    This is a beautiful evening of theatre, consisting of three sometimes silly, sometimes devastating one-acts loaded with excellent roles - especially notable for its strong, dynamic roles for older women. The plays are completely distinct, but each one has at least one reference to Greek mythology at its center. Every single play has at least one laugh-out-loud line that will stick with you, and multiple sweet, genuine moments. I am sure you will fall in love with the well-drawn, unique characters you will meet in every single play!

  • Aly Kantor: Dora's Dynamic Dates

    This is a hilarious short play about two awkward people in an even more awkward situation! I found myself cringing in sympathy on more than one occasion, and I think that's what makes the piece work so wonderfully! Dating is strange and uncomfortable whether you meet on an app or at a weird, virtual speed dating event! By the end of the play, I was rooting for the charming, odd couple at its center - and very grateful that they managed to outsmart "Dora" and escape their digital captor! A fun premise executed beautifully!

    This is a hilarious short play about two awkward people in an even more awkward situation! I found myself cringing in sympathy on more than one occasion, and I think that's what makes the piece work so wonderfully! Dating is strange and uncomfortable whether you meet on an app or at a weird, virtual speed dating event! By the end of the play, I was rooting for the charming, odd couple at its center - and very grateful that they managed to outsmart "Dora" and escape their digital captor! A fun premise executed beautifully!

  • Aly Kantor: Goodnight Lovin' Trail

    I believe that every Edward Hopper painting is its own liminal space, and so is Andy's Piggy - the setting of this haunting meeting between two sad ships in the night. Both characters are wracked with longing, which propels the quiet action in this play as surely as the tiny reversals that keep the audience questioning. The language is lyrical and painfully true. It reads like the sort of confessions someone might make when they're too tired to shield the vulnerable parts of themselves, which made the dialogue believable when coming out of these two weary mouths. Haunting!

    I believe that every Edward Hopper painting is its own liminal space, and so is Andy's Piggy - the setting of this haunting meeting between two sad ships in the night. Both characters are wracked with longing, which propels the quiet action in this play as surely as the tiny reversals that keep the audience questioning. The language is lyrical and painfully true. It reads like the sort of confessions someone might make when they're too tired to shield the vulnerable parts of themselves, which made the dialogue believable when coming out of these two weary mouths. Haunting!