Recommended by Christine Foster

  • I WILL NEVER PLAY HAMLET
    23 Jan. 2021
    A wistful rumination not just on missed recognition and lost opportunity in the theatre - but on aging itself. Above all this is a lovely and loving tribute not only to the profession but to accepting the passage of time perhaps not with entirely 'gracious' regret, but with wry wit and self deprecation.
  • Waiting
    4 Dec. 2020
    Charming "motor-mouth" Hailey steps up to the plate to selflessly help her clueless Dad propose to his unimaginative girlfriend, Sandra. Hailey may be a teen but she has a way better grasp of patience, empathy and timing than either of the adults. It's a funny and touching piece and we smile as she becomes alternately frustrated and amazed at what fools these grown-ups be.
  • The Chance
    4 Dec. 2020
    A gutsy teen, an ambitious dreamer, tries to skip the part where she pays her dues in life as she tries catch her first break. The monologue is a realistic glimpse into the psyche of this green but honest kid with "I'm gonna get there some day" tattooed on her very soul. You end up suspecting she'll make it.
  • ZOOM, ZOOM AND ... BOOM!
    4 Dec. 2020
    Take one sister who "can never do nothing simple" and another who knows that 'crazy love' is the ultimate sanity-saver and that nothing can ever stop its unique magic, and you end up with a heart-warming dialogue between two middle-aged women, which charmingly reaffirms all the best things about family.
  • TOMORROW I WILL RESCUE SOMEONE, a monologue
    4 Dec. 2020
    A fresh, perceptive piece. The speaker is baffled by the chill of Fate, but not self pitying. Despite her shaken state, she plugs away with a kind of charming, loopy philosophy, working to regain some sense of self worth with humor and insight.
  • GULF VIEW DRIVE
    3 Dec. 2020
    May, Raleigh and their eccentric family are like a pot left on a back burner, sometimes stirred, sometimes tended - but always about to boil over. The dialogue and characterizations are flawless, intensely real, and humorous enough to make you like them all while still wanting to wring their necks. The boiling over, when it comes, is deftly plotted and satisfying. (Now I need to read to read the first two in this insightful and entertaining trilogy)
  • Last Gasp
    3 Dec. 2020
    Beardsley's brilliantly conceived short play is gripping, imaginative and truly chilling. I would love to see this onstage as the audience gradually figures out that the characters are not what they seem to be, that time is not what it seems to be, and that our species' survival is not going to even be a 50-50 proposition. I had goosebumps.
  • Tropes I Hate: "How Could You Do This To Me and With My..."
    24 Nov. 2020
    All the satisfaction of what has become expected in a stereotypical, corny bedroom betrayal scene, and much, much more! Witty, playful,cheeky and huge fun.
  • Wish You Were Here
    24 Nov. 2020
    A delightful duologue between two likable people, both in love with life. As they engage in a dream-game of possibilities we (and they) know they are impossible. But as they become swept up in the game they start to wonder if maybe, just maybe their encounter is "meant to be." The lovely arc of an ending leaves us with joyful goosebumps. A really optimistic, charming piece!
  • Stages of Joy
    24 Nov. 2020
    "Shame is a waste of time" vs Shame is a stage in coming to terms with the past. Full of sharp perceptions, there's a lot going on in this realistic sibling encounter on the death of the second of their difficult parents. Then comes a huge revelation in their understanding of their family history - a real catalyst to their emotional growth that is satisfying for the characters and audience alike.

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