Recommended by Michael Kras

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    What a clever and smart idea to use the real-time wait for COVID rapid test results as the framework of a 10-minute play!

    It's also the kind of play the industry would not be ready for at the timing of me writing this, and that's a compliment. Daniel's efficient short piece asks questions our industry doesn't want to ask about the ethics of trying to pretend things are normal when they are very, very much not in the pandemic era.

    What a clever and smart idea to use the real-time wait for COVID rapid test results as the framework of a 10-minute play!

    It's also the kind of play the industry would not be ready for at the timing of me writing this, and that's a compliment. Daniel's efficient short piece asks questions our industry doesn't want to ask about the ethics of trying to pretend things are normal when they are very, very much not in the pandemic era.

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    A painful play that pulls no punches. Sharp, inventive, heartbreaking, infuriating, and stomach-churning; all within 10 minutes.

    A painful play that pulls no punches. Sharp, inventive, heartbreaking, infuriating, and stomach-churning; all within 10 minutes.

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    A riveting, challenging look at five catholic conservative intellectuals at war with each other, themselves, and their spectrum of right-leaning ideologies. Arbery gives us a disarmingly nuanced and empathetic portrait of characters almost never explored this deeply in the theatre. At turns funny, squirmy, infuriating, and profoundly sad. I can’t stop thinking about this play.

    A riveting, challenging look at five catholic conservative intellectuals at war with each other, themselves, and their spectrum of right-leaning ideologies. Arbery gives us a disarmingly nuanced and empathetic portrait of characters almost never explored this deeply in the theatre. At turns funny, squirmy, infuriating, and profoundly sad. I can’t stop thinking about this play.

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    I adore this play. FreePlay is painstakingly patient in its use of language and the way its plot unfolds, and it works so well because Hehir has given us four believable and idiosyncratic characters to fall in love with. The play also manages to find ways of speaking directly to contemporary issues without ever feeling forced or didactic. It also does something notable: it lets dildos be hilarious, while still taking them seriously and letting them be empowering objects. Funny as fuh and heartbreaking too, FreePlay is a quiet, endearing gem.

    I adore this play. FreePlay is painstakingly patient in its use of language and the way its plot unfolds, and it works so well because Hehir has given us four believable and idiosyncratic characters to fall in love with. The play also manages to find ways of speaking directly to contemporary issues without ever feeling forced or didactic. It also does something notable: it lets dildos be hilarious, while still taking them seriously and letting them be empowering objects. Funny as fuh and heartbreaking too, FreePlay is a quiet, endearing gem.

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    This is a deeply engaging play that works both as a tensely plausible thriller and as a provocative social commentary. Incredibly timely and gripping.

    This is a deeply engaging play that works both as a tensely plausible thriller and as a provocative social commentary. Incredibly timely and gripping.

  • Michael Kras: Never Not Once by Carey Crim
    “

    I adore this play. Carey’s work here once again proves her gifts for emotional largeness within economic dialogue and storytelling. Never Not Once doesn’t shy away from its complicated and risky subject matter (that will absolutely generate fiery discussion) but still impressively succeeds at remaining approachable the whole way through. Ugh, I could go on far longer than the word limit here will allow. To be brief: do it. I can’t wait to see this on stage.

    I adore this play. Carey’s work here once again proves her gifts for emotional largeness within economic dialogue and storytelling. Never Not Once doesn’t shy away from its complicated and risky subject matter (that will absolutely generate fiery discussion) but still impressively succeeds at remaining approachable the whole way through. Ugh, I could go on far longer than the word limit here will allow. To be brief: do it. I can’t wait to see this on stage.

    ”
  • Michael Kras: Toxic by Rachel Bublitz
    “

    This play accomplishes an awful lot in 20 minutes, ratcheting up the intensity in riveting fashion with a timely social commentary that hits uncomfortably close to home. We all know men like this, and through a biting sense of humour and uncomfortable rage, we're forced to reckon with the culture we continue to breed as a society.

    This play accomplishes an awful lot in 20 minutes, ratcheting up the intensity in riveting fashion with a timely social commentary that hits uncomfortably close to home. We all know men like this, and through a biting sense of humour and uncomfortable rage, we're forced to reckon with the culture we continue to breed as a society.

    ”
  • Michael Kras: My Body by Rachel Bublitz
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    A sharp, incisive ten minutes with timely satirical bite. Bublitz makes a provocative point with a vicious sense of humour, and establishes a fantastical yet tangible world with impressive texture given the constraints of the piece's length. This is a piece I'd love to see find a full-length form, but as is, it's a fiercely effective short play.

    A sharp, incisive ten minutes with timely satirical bite. Bublitz makes a provocative point with a vicious sense of humour, and establishes a fantastical yet tangible world with impressive texture given the constraints of the piece's length. This is a piece I'd love to see find a full-length form, but as is, it's a fiercely effective short play.

    ”
  • Michael Kras: Shimmers by Lindsay Partain
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    A heart-swelling short play, with small bursts of poetry and an overwhelmingly gorgeous ending. Sometimes you just want to see a play that reminds you of the beauty of humanity. This is it.

    A heart-swelling short play, with small bursts of poetry and an overwhelmingly gorgeous ending. Sometimes you just want to see a play that reminds you of the beauty of humanity. This is it.

    ”
  • Michael Kras: elephants by Jordan Bird
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    A heightened and compassionate piece that once again highlights Henry's gift for exploring elephant-sized emotional depths in a daringly short span of time. This is a play you feel; from Sue's evocative thoughts about elephants to the literal percussive vibrations that punctuate the language.

    A heightened and compassionate piece that once again highlights Henry's gift for exploring elephant-sized emotional depths in a daringly short span of time. This is a play you feel; from Sue's evocative thoughts about elephants to the literal percussive vibrations that punctuate the language.

    ”