Recommended by Aly Kantor

  • Aly Kantor: THE PRINCESS AND THE PINUP

    This script is subtly seeped in history, creating a vibrant theatrical world full of picture shows and bazooka bubble gum... and the action all takes place in one room! Stunningly intimate yet brazenly theatrical, this almost-love story is full of colorful, (mostly) lovable characters grounded in their time period. Both progressive but realistic given the climate, I still found myself rooting for these lovers and hoping for a better ending! Funny, tense at the right moments, and lots of fun!

    This script is subtly seeped in history, creating a vibrant theatrical world full of picture shows and bazooka bubble gum... and the action all takes place in one room! Stunningly intimate yet brazenly theatrical, this almost-love story is full of colorful, (mostly) lovable characters grounded in their time period. Both progressive but realistic given the climate, I still found myself rooting for these lovers and hoping for a better ending! Funny, tense at the right moments, and lots of fun!

  • Aly Kantor: The Martyr

    The dorkily lovable teenage protagonist at the center of this queer ghost story is a gift for young performers — smart but flawed and gorgeously layered, I cared about Priscilla-Jane instantly! Full of pearls of wisdom, gorgeous theatricality, music, and ghosts, the intimate world of this play is rich in atmosphere. I love how efficiently the piece moves, giving it a swift sense of momentum, even as it leads us through the past. This moving, funny historical mystery will leave you with hope!

    The dorkily lovable teenage protagonist at the center of this queer ghost story is a gift for young performers — smart but flawed and gorgeously layered, I cared about Priscilla-Jane instantly! Full of pearls of wisdom, gorgeous theatricality, music, and ghosts, the intimate world of this play is rich in atmosphere. I love how efficiently the piece moves, giving it a swift sense of momentum, even as it leads us through the past. This moving, funny historical mystery will leave you with hope!

  • Aly Kantor: GOODFELLOW, ROBIN HOOD

    Leave it to Nora to reveal a unique sliver of history from a unique point of view! This carefully researched narrative vacillates between real life and the tales of Robin Hood, providing roles for a versatile troop of performers. Rich in history and atmosphere, the framing and structure had me hooked! In a clever twist, the Merry Men aren't men at all, allowing girls to shine in some of the most compelling and comedic roles in the play (making it a solid choice for female-heavy drama programs).

    Leave it to Nora to reveal a unique sliver of history from a unique point of view! This carefully researched narrative vacillates between real life and the tales of Robin Hood, providing roles for a versatile troop of performers. Rich in history and atmosphere, the framing and structure had me hooked! In a clever twist, the Merry Men aren't men at all, allowing girls to shine in some of the most compelling and comedic roles in the play (making it a solid choice for female-heavy drama programs).

  • Aly Kantor: Little Egypt

    This is the best play about thumb-wrestling the Lady Mother of the Knight's Templar that you'll read this week! Truly, this play starts off swinging and refuses to let up, with fantastic, high-stakes combat (for women!!!) that kept me riveted. The worldbuilding is imaginative and compelling, with plenty of prophecies to keep audiences engaged and tracking plot threads. Magic meets mysticism meets pragmatism meets history in a tightly contained, gorgeously structured fantasy tale.

    This is the best play about thumb-wrestling the Lady Mother of the Knight's Templar that you'll read this week! Truly, this play starts off swinging and refuses to let up, with fantastic, high-stakes combat (for women!!!) that kept me riveted. The worldbuilding is imaginative and compelling, with plenty of prophecies to keep audiences engaged and tracking plot threads. Magic meets mysticism meets pragmatism meets history in a tightly contained, gorgeously structured fantasy tale.

  • Aly Kantor: Chuan & Eve

    In a world in which "therapy speak" is a dialect, and AI is replacing skilled labor, it makes sense to imagine a future in which tech companies harness AI to offer low cost therapy... but the brilliance of this play is that it considers transference as a factor. I love that the piece explores training AI as a labor and exploitation issue, which is what so many narratives miss. The characters are specific, and humanity is always at the center of the story. Dark, melancholy, thought-provoking!

    In a world in which "therapy speak" is a dialect, and AI is replacing skilled labor, it makes sense to imagine a future in which tech companies harness AI to offer low cost therapy... but the brilliance of this play is that it considers transference as a factor. I love that the piece explores training AI as a labor and exploitation issue, which is what so many narratives miss. The characters are specific, and humanity is always at the center of the story. Dark, melancholy, thought-provoking!

  • Aly Kantor: TERRIBLE BEAUTY 2.0

    In a world where the artist has been replaced by an AI conglomerate powered by human "drones" doing data entry, do the awards we use to measure the worth of our creations hold any value? This play presents a sci-fi "what if" that holds a mirror up to our world. If we take the labor out of art, does it hold value? If we take the art out of labor, is there any reason to create? What a bleak and chilling dystopia. I love the use of poetry - a great contrast with the mundane workplace small talk!

    In a world where the artist has been replaced by an AI conglomerate powered by human "drones" doing data entry, do the awards we use to measure the worth of our creations hold any value? This play presents a sci-fi "what if" that holds a mirror up to our world. If we take the labor out of art, does it hold value? If we take the art out of labor, is there any reason to create? What a bleak and chilling dystopia. I love the use of poetry - a great contrast with the mundane workplace small talk!

  • Aly Kantor: Kudzu

    The power of a play is often in its final image, and this one is an absolute, chemistry-shifting retina burn that has been haunting me since I read it! That's not to say that the entire play isn't epically compelling, rife with romance, camaraderie, teenage hijinks, and, somehow, a driving message about toxic ideology as a contagion. The world of the play feels simultaneously infinite and gargantuan and leaves so much room for audience engagement. Creepy, complex, and atmospheric, this is a gem!

    The power of a play is often in its final image, and this one is an absolute, chemistry-shifting retina burn that has been haunting me since I read it! That's not to say that the entire play isn't epically compelling, rife with romance, camaraderie, teenage hijinks, and, somehow, a driving message about toxic ideology as a contagion. The world of the play feels simultaneously infinite and gargantuan and leaves so much room for audience engagement. Creepy, complex, and atmospheric, this is a gem!

  • Aly Kantor: Totality

    A lovely meditation on the short time we have to love, with a wonderful sci-fi twist that made this profoundly human tale even more compelling. Truly, I think the punch of theatricality lives in the simplicity of the narrative, making a specific, unique set of circumstances feel universal. I could imagine the lighting design opportunities while reading, which need not be elaborate to pack a powerful punch and serve as the rapidly ticking clock (which is, ultimately, the engine of this play)!

    A lovely meditation on the short time we have to love, with a wonderful sci-fi twist that made this profoundly human tale even more compelling. Truly, I think the punch of theatricality lives in the simplicity of the narrative, making a specific, unique set of circumstances feel universal. I could imagine the lighting design opportunities while reading, which need not be elaborate to pack a powerful punch and serve as the rapidly ticking clock (which is, ultimately, the engine of this play)!

  • Aly Kantor: Plan B

    Who knew a playing space as small as a car could contain specific, larger-than-life characters like June and Craig? This play is hilarious from page one, with a non-stop forward momentum. The world outside of the car is so vivid, probably because this deeply flawed but erudite duo is so passionate and engaged - which makes the audience care about them and their circumstances (especially as they begin to care about one another). The perfect political play is always personal. This script nails it!

    Who knew a playing space as small as a car could contain specific, larger-than-life characters like June and Craig? This play is hilarious from page one, with a non-stop forward momentum. The world outside of the car is so vivid, probably because this deeply flawed but erudite duo is so passionate and engaged - which makes the audience care about them and their circumstances (especially as they begin to care about one another). The perfect political play is always personal. This script nails it!

  • Aly Kantor: Early One Evening at the Miskatonic University Ladies Auxiliary Book Club

    Oh, what a laugh out loud delight! This non-stop, character-driven comedy would be a blast to stage, with banter coming fast! While easily produced, there is just enough room for clever designers with a love for the macabre to have a field day with makeup and lighting! The setup is subtle and familiar, which makes the supernatural pay-off feel even more rewarding. Plus, the audience won't have ALL the fun. I'm not sure there is a role in this that wouldn't be a BLAST to play!

    Oh, what a laugh out loud delight! This non-stop, character-driven comedy would be a blast to stage, with banter coming fast! While easily produced, there is just enough room for clever designers with a love for the macabre to have a field day with makeup and lighting! The setup is subtle and familiar, which makes the supernatural pay-off feel even more rewarding. Plus, the audience won't have ALL the fun. I'm not sure there is a role in this that wouldn't be a BLAST to play!