Recommended by Greg Romero

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    I had the privilege of working as a dramaturg on this play for the 2026 Mid-American Theater Conference, where it was presented as a staged reading as part of the Playwriting Symposium's "First Acts" program. This play is - all at once - theatrically challenging in all the best ways, hilarious, moving, and deeply authentic. It puts characters and situations on stage that we need to see and in ways that are powerful and surprising and subversively fun. An EXCELLENT play for brave theater-makers.

    I had the privilege of working as a dramaturg on this play for the 2026 Mid-American Theater Conference, where it was presented as a staged reading as part of the Playwriting Symposium's "First Acts" program. This play is - all at once - theatrically challenging in all the best ways, hilarious, moving, and deeply authentic. It puts characters and situations on stage that we need to see and in ways that are powerful and surprising and subversively fun. An EXCELLENT play for brave theater-makers.

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    I saw a reading of this play at the 2025 Valdez Theater Conference, and it wrecked me in all the best ways possible. Deeply intense, creative, and highly theatrical, the play's subtitle ("train wreck") is incredibly apt as the entire play is an intense, dangerous, painful ride that covers so much ground. LOVED this work and all the ways it ripped me open.

    I saw a reading of this play at the 2025 Valdez Theater Conference, and it wrecked me in all the best ways possible. Deeply intense, creative, and highly theatrical, the play's subtitle ("train wreck") is incredibly apt as the entire play is an intense, dangerous, painful ride that covers so much ground. LOVED this work and all the ways it ripped me open.

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    I saw a reading of this excellent play at the Valdez Theater Conference and was so entertained and moved by it. These young characters are authentic and dimensional as this lovely work continues a tradition of plays like The Wolves and Dance Nation that give voice to young females. This particular play finds its uniqueness in the age of its lead characters (9 and 10 years old) and their time not only in Girl Scouts, but in the wilderness, becoming a parable and also a theatrical playground.

    I saw a reading of this excellent play at the Valdez Theater Conference and was so entertained and moved by it. These young characters are authentic and dimensional as this lovely work continues a tradition of plays like The Wolves and Dance Nation that give voice to young females. This particular play finds its uniqueness in the age of its lead characters (9 and 10 years old) and their time not only in Girl Scouts, but in the wilderness, becoming a parable and also a theatrical playground.

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    I experienced a reading of this play at the Mid-American Theater Conference in 2025 and it SHOOK me in all the best ways. Gorgeous, truthful, painful writing about grief that also offers lots of layered theatrical story-telling. This play kind of devastated me with its power.

    I experienced a reading of this play at the Mid-American Theater Conference in 2025 and it SHOOK me in all the best ways. Gorgeous, truthful, painful writing about grief that also offers lots of layered theatrical story-telling. This play kind of devastated me with its power.

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    There is so much I love about this play. I love the play's huge imagination, its bravery, its wildness, all the theatrical surprises, and it also emotionally wrecked me. And I love that it centers LGBTQ characters in such an awesome, truthful way. I have been banging the drum since my first read of this play for more folks to get to know BLOOM BLOOM POW because I think we will all be better when more people are reading and producing plays like this one.

    There is so much I love about this play. I love the play's huge imagination, its bravery, its wildness, all the theatrical surprises, and it also emotionally wrecked me. And I love that it centers LGBTQ characters in such an awesome, truthful way. I have been banging the drum since my first read of this play for more folks to get to know BLOOM BLOOM POW because I think we will all be better when more people are reading and producing plays like this one.

  • Greg Romero: LUMIN by Emma Gibson
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    I watched a reading of LUMIN as part of the 2023 Valdez Theater Conference, and I continue to be so impressed by Emma Gibson's writing. This play took me on many emotional journeys, while also (appropriately, horrifyingly) fogging my mind, while also expressing profound, complicated beauty. Gibson's storytelling here smartly plays with time, revealing details that shift perceptions, also bringing urgency and danger to moments that are frightening. The play - with its sounds and visuals - is both theatrical and stifling, placing us in the impossible, heartbreaking, dizzying situations these...

    I watched a reading of LUMIN as part of the 2023 Valdez Theater Conference, and I continue to be so impressed by Emma Gibson's writing. This play took me on many emotional journeys, while also (appropriately, horrifyingly) fogging my mind, while also expressing profound, complicated beauty. Gibson's storytelling here smartly plays with time, revealing details that shift perceptions, also bringing urgency and danger to moments that are frightening. The play - with its sounds and visuals - is both theatrical and stifling, placing us in the impossible, heartbreaking, dizzying situations these characters find themselves in. Excellent, challenging, impressive work.

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  • Greg Romero: sorry sorry okay sorry by Emily Elyse Everett
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    I'm so happy I got to see this play as part of the 2023 Valdez Theater Conference, though now I realize that "happy" is a misleading word because this play is so beautifully devastatingly sad. There is so much impressive writing here that hit me right in the guts and bones. All three characters are so well-written, with such smart detail and humor and honesty. Really fantastic, heart-breaking/opening work. This plays makes me want to hug everything I love for as long as I can.

    I'm so happy I got to see this play as part of the 2023 Valdez Theater Conference, though now I realize that "happy" is a misleading word because this play is so beautifully devastatingly sad. There is so much impressive writing here that hit me right in the guts and bones. All three characters are so well-written, with such smart detail and humor and honesty. Really fantastic, heart-breaking/opening work. This plays makes me want to hug everything I love for as long as I can.

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  • Greg Romero: Rocket Yourself to the Moon by Charlotte Lang
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    I had the pleasure of seeing a reading of Charlotte Lang's play at the 2023 Valdez Theater Conference and there is so much that I am impressed with and delighted by. This play is so funny, so theatrically exciting and full of fresh surprises. The play is incredibly smart for what it reveals about the power systems in which we live and about who we are as humans impossibly trying to live in these systems. Excellent, smart, thrilling, fun writing that has great size, clarity, and theatricality.

    I had the pleasure of seeing a reading of Charlotte Lang's play at the 2023 Valdez Theater Conference and there is so much that I am impressed with and delighted by. This play is so funny, so theatrically exciting and full of fresh surprises. The play is incredibly smart for what it reveals about the power systems in which we live and about who we are as humans impossibly trying to live in these systems. Excellent, smart, thrilling, fun writing that has great size, clarity, and theatricality.

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  • Greg Romero: the day we were born by Jaisey Bates
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    I just finished reading this play and it is hard to find adequate words to describe how beautiful and exciting and immense this play is. This play is its own enormous, beautiful, white whale. Bates' writing is fantastically theatrical, haunting, poetic, real, and the stories being threaded here are all at once incredibly important and heartbreaking and funny and necessary. I would LOVE to see this play in a production that can meet Bates' writing. Thank you for sharing this play with us, Jaisey!

    I just finished reading this play and it is hard to find adequate words to describe how beautiful and exciting and immense this play is. This play is its own enormous, beautiful, white whale. Bates' writing is fantastically theatrical, haunting, poetic, real, and the stories being threaded here are all at once incredibly important and heartbreaking and funny and necessary. I would LOVE to see this play in a production that can meet Bates' writing. Thank you for sharing this play with us, Jaisey!

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  • Greg Romero: If nobody does remarkable things by Emma Gibson
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    I had the pleasure of watching a reading of this play at the 2022 Valdez Theater Conference, and there is so much that impressed me about Emma Gibson's writing. This play is expansive, imaginative, beautiful, and addresses the climate crisis with urgency and eloquence. Gibson's characters are complicated and human and there is so much that Gibson tells us through suggestion, subtlety, and how smartly the play is structured. And the play offers such fun theatrical possibilities on stage! Excellent work that I hope finds many homes in production.

    I had the pleasure of watching a reading of this play at the 2022 Valdez Theater Conference, and there is so much that impressed me about Emma Gibson's writing. This play is expansive, imaginative, beautiful, and addresses the climate crisis with urgency and eloquence. Gibson's characters are complicated and human and there is so much that Gibson tells us through suggestion, subtlety, and how smartly the play is structured. And the play offers such fun theatrical possibilities on stage! Excellent work that I hope finds many homes in production.

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