←

Maximillian Gill

Recommended by Maximillian Gill

  • Power by Kate Danley
    25 Mar. 2020
    “ A truly fascinating play. Yes, it is about power but also about the many ways that power suppresses our basic humanity as we see characters straining at the structures that keep them in place. The dialogue deftly plays with the style of speech familiar to anyone who's ever seen a '60s-era television show, yet at the same time it cleverly subverts the tropes of the genre and comments on their absurdity. Danley augments the rich commentary of the play itself by incorporating chance and improvisation to highlight the preposterous nature of hierarchy. An incredibly thoughtful and emotive work. ”
  • Even Flowers Bloom in Hell, Sometimes by Franky D. Gonzalez
    24 Mar. 2020
    “ This play simply overflows with riches. So much is packed in here about institutional racism, generational misery, history, the power of art, and many other topics we all need to think about. But more than anything, this play is deeply human. Gonzalez renders his characters realistically but with a sensitivity that made me gasp at times. It is unfailingly heart-breaking and true, urgent and poetic, both fatalistic and redemptive. This writer's talents continue to astonish me. ”
  • The Flying Dutchman Boards the Staten Island Ferry by Larry Rinkel
    23 Mar. 2020
    “ Mashing up a Wagner opera with a couple bickering on their trip home is a genius idea I really wish I had thought of! As an opera lover I very much enjoy all of the references, but more than anything I love the character of the Dutchman, less a tragic figure in this telling and more a wise guy who's been wandering long enough to have something to say about everything. A witty tribute to both the romance and the sheer absurdity of opera. ”
  • Two Tickets to Delray Beach by Chris Gacinski
    22 Mar. 2020
    “ Like much of his work, Gacinski portrays human behavior pushed to deeply unsettling extremes in this play. It is a dark and very difficult experience to read about the exploitation and abuse portrayed in this piece, yet the writer does not do it for effect or sensationalism. His interest is in exploring a character whose human failings have driven them to commit the worst deeds. Trigger warnings noted, this is powerful work. ”
  • Held Momentarily by Steven Hayet
    22 Mar. 2020
    “ I've always felt that a group of passengers stuck in a train car during a delay is just drama waiting to happen, but I never expected where Hayet takes the situation in this compact, absurdist piece. And just when you think you know what's going on, the writer throws in another swerve. The characters are all familiar and unique and interact in unexpected ways. A fine short play. ”
  • All of the Napkins are Wet (a monologue) (Playing on the Periphery #1) by Scott Sickles
    22 Mar. 2020
    “ Hilarious! Sickles starts with an ingeniously simple premise primed to yield comic gold, and then he just goes for it, squeezing out every ounce of humor from this portrait of a little girl who fancies herself a bored socialite. The character description alone had me laughing, and it just gets better from there. I don't believe I've ever heard funnier uses of the words "taffeta" and "cravats." Just brilliant! ”
  • CRACKED by Eytan Deray
    21 Mar. 2020
    “ I am always impressed by a successfully executed period piece, and in this play Deray perfectly captures the spirit of a crucial time in the nation's cultural history when young people and members of marginalized groups were starting to push against the conservative strictures of the era, but the forces of the establishment were pushing back in sometimes brutal fashion. The ensemble is full of rich, individualized characters, and the writer's ability to keep them distinct and manage their arcs is impressive. At the heart is a poignant coming-of-age story. A significant work. ”
  • The Last Shore Trip by Dave Osmundsen
    21 Mar. 2020
    “ We've all been there. We've all felt like we were drifting apart from people who were once so close to us, because they were moving on to new lives that we couldn't relate to, or perhaps we were. And we've probably all felt what it's like to feel left behind by people who were fulfilling themselves in ways that were out of reach for us. All of these feelings are laid bare in this poignant piece. We feel for all of the characters and brace for the tragedy that we know is sure to come. ”
  • Lakeesha Crosses the Border (est. 15 min.) by Robin Rice
    20 Mar. 2020
    “ Anthropomorphized animals provide a fun and novel way to examine the immigration/refugee debate, and the writer does a fine job of embodying "elephantness" and "camelness" in dialogue, but Rice goes deeper and darker, taking us on a journey that ends in a poignant place and a plea for mutual understanding. A powerful short for our times. ”
  • The Hub by Allyson Dwyer
    20 Mar. 2020
    “ I was easily taken in by the nostalgia quality of revisiting 1999, but Dwyer's gifts are clearly not limited to evoking this particular place and time in cyberspace. The characters are very engaging, and we immediately feel for them as they try to negotiate their desires and desperate insecurities. We see the Hub as both refuge and prison, just like all insular communities. Dwyer's feel for the specialized dialogue is instinctive and never feels contrived. It reads briskly on the page and would be very interesting in a staged version. ”

Pages