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Maximillian Gill

Recommended by Maximillian Gill

  • The Body's Midnight by Tira Palmquist
    13 Apr. 2022
    “ A wonderful, sprawling story. Palmquist expertly evokes all variety of landscape and setting on this journey through the country. The supporting characters are all lively, hilarious, and very real. In the couple in the center of the play we see anxieties, petty squabbles, and running jokes, but more importantly we see the love and care these two people have for each other. The through-line of a character's slow mental degeneration is harrowing and treated both respectfully and realistically. It is thematically balanced with evocations of the landscape's degeneration due to the ravages of climate change. Powerful work. ”
  • Wands Have More Fun by Allison Fradkin
    20 Mar. 2022
    “ There's nothing more fun than a subversive spin on a classic fairy tale, and this piece by Fradkin is particularly relevant and hilarious. The pacing is quick and the wit punchy and sly. A great two-hander for actors ready to really lean into these roles with some opportunities for fun physicality and comedic stage combat. ”
  • For Mr. Cuddles by Erin Moughon
    20 Mar. 2022
    “ Moughon's trademark wit shines in this short piece about a somewhat awkward funeral. The tightness of the writing is impressive; every line is calibrated to deliver laughs and give dimension to characters treated broadly but also allowed space for nuance and texture. The piece never loses track of the humanity of these characters; the group hug at the end is sweet and affirming as much as it is comical. ”
  • Undiscovered Country by Dana Leslie Goldstein
    13 Mar. 2022
    “ A wonderful play that gets at the core emotions of grieving in a way that I have rarely seen represented. A chamber piece showing a few specific moments in a relationship that manage to encompass their lifetime together. Elegantly and deftly theatrical with its switches of time and place. Above all, it acknowledges a fundamental truth: Nobody is every truly gone. Beautiful work. ”
  • Signal One Three Thirteen by Bora "Max" Koknar
    20 Feb. 2022
    “ A marvelous short piece steeped in the simultaneously tenuous and miraculous nature of human connection. At its heart are two characters drawn to each other and testing limits and desires even as they try to navigate the gap between them. I love that the mysteries are never solved. Koknar instead leaves us with possibilities, a ready metaphor for our essential wonderment at the inner lives of others. I saw this in a Zoom reading, a format that perfectly suites its style. ”
  • American Fast by Kareem Fahmy
    18 Feb. 2022
    “ A wonderful, compelling work with a strong central character who simply leaps off the page with her strength, ambition, and complications. Fahmy succeeds in pacing the play like a sporting event, with the focus briskly bouncing off one character to another. The stagecraft is impressive overall, and the final game is a masterful example of pure theatre using words and motion. Fahmy writes about the contradictions inherent in bifurcated cultural identity with both sensitivity and honesty. The writer's command of the material is so assured that even someone like me who knows nothing about the sport is never lost. ”
  • Legends of Texas by Nilsa Reyna
    13 Feb. 2022
    “ An intense examination of the nation's wounded psyche reflected in the experience of a specific family. Reyna's piece takes a clear-eyed view of the gun debate, racial politics, and numerous other issues but is never preachy; rather, the topics are examined through the grounded experience of these fully realized characters. The writer treats these lofty themes with a wonderful lightness of technique and wit but does not offer easy solutions. When violence erupts, it is given full weight. These moments are shocking and viscerally unnerving yet fully prepared for. A stunning play. ”
  • Engels in the Outfield by Tom Moran
    10 Feb. 2022
    “ The spectacle of Karl Marx throwing shade in a baseball game is something I didn't realize I needed until I read this marvelous play. The writing is sharp and laugh-out-loud funny, a heady mix of the basic elements of farce and references to the writings of Marx and Engels. The set-up is simple and ingenious. And above all it's just so much fun! ”
  • Dead Spots by William J. Goodwin
    10 Feb. 2022
    “ Eerie and poignant, a short piece that stays with you. Goodwin takes full advantage of the possibilities of audio as a medium and has written a play that is uniquely suited to the format. The voices here may be disembodied, but they are fully weighted with longing and grief. A powerful piece. ”
  • I Figure It's Love by Rachel Feeny-Williams
    9 Feb. 2022
    “ A sweet and funny tale that takes the living and the dead on a quest for lost love. I really enjoyed how the standard tropes of horror movies are gently subverted, and Feeny-Williams takes full advantage of the possibilities of pure theatre to represent the supernatural. It's laugh-out-loud funny and has a lot of heart. ”

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