Recommended by Noah Tibbetts

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    Zach Barr's THE PILON is, by far, one of most engaging plays I've read in a while! The attention paid to the vernacular and details of card collecting immersed me in the hobby while not overwhelming me. Such a cool niche for the subject of a stage play. Moreover, weaving the play's LGBTQ+ characters/themes into the hobby proved captivating. A wonderfully wholesome triumph! (P.S. As one raised in the Pacific Northwest, I adored the play's setting and Seattle-isms!)

    Zach Barr's THE PILON is, by far, one of most engaging plays I've read in a while! The attention paid to the vernacular and details of card collecting immersed me in the hobby while not overwhelming me. Such a cool niche for the subject of a stage play. Moreover, weaving the play's LGBTQ+ characters/themes into the hobby proved captivating. A wonderfully wholesome triumph! (P.S. As one raised in the Pacific Northwest, I adored the play's setting and Seattle-isms!)

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    When Sam Hurley gets an idea, she executes it. The clash between these Abraham Lincoln impersonators vying for the same woman (also impersonating Lincoln) results in a playful yet absurd inspection of fragile masculinity. Of course, this is a patent Sam Hurley piece, so it is also filled with delicious vulgarity, edge, and excess. In other words: after reading, I thought about Greg Heffley's dad and his fascination with the Civil War, and I didn't know why, but I did know why. A juicy read!

    When Sam Hurley gets an idea, she executes it. The clash between these Abraham Lincoln impersonators vying for the same woman (also impersonating Lincoln) results in a playful yet absurd inspection of fragile masculinity. Of course, this is a patent Sam Hurley piece, so it is also filled with delicious vulgarity, edge, and excess. In other words: after reading, I thought about Greg Heffley's dad and his fascination with the Civil War, and I didn't know why, but I did know why. A juicy read!

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    Such a well constructed three-person study into existing and more specifically, existing among/with others. Not a single idea or detail was forgotten or abandoned! I attended the 2025 reading at The Understudy and really enjoyed imagining the staging of this play, particularly with its settings in the warehouse and in Cate's ready-for-Thanksgiving house. It helps that Schuett provides such vivid and idiosyncratic stage directions. THE QUIET PART has a lot to say, and says it out loud!

    Such a well constructed three-person study into existing and more specifically, existing among/with others. Not a single idea or detail was forgotten or abandoned! I attended the 2025 reading at The Understudy and really enjoyed imagining the staging of this play, particularly with its settings in the warehouse and in Cate's ready-for-Thanksgiving house. It helps that Schuett provides such vivid and idiosyncratic stage directions. THE QUIET PART has a lot to say, and says it out loud!

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    I had the pleasure of reading for Ronnie & Others at Red Theatre's 2025 reading of SPIN, an engaging memory play that wrenched my heart but still left me smiling! SPIN offers multiple perspectives on multi-generational relationships, which all culminate in an empowering (re)discovery of self. I was most drawn to the juxtaposition between the action happening in the play's setting and the action happening in the scenes themselves. A terrific journey I'd love to see staged! Site specific, perhaps?

    I had the pleasure of reading for Ronnie & Others at Red Theatre's 2025 reading of SPIN, an engaging memory play that wrenched my heart but still left me smiling! SPIN offers multiple perspectives on multi-generational relationships, which all culminate in an empowering (re)discovery of self. I was most drawn to the juxtaposition between the action happening in the play's setting and the action happening in the scenes themselves. A terrific journey I'd love to see staged! Site specific, perhaps?

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    Whoever thinks "hell is other people" clearly has not eaten bread before. A uniquely terrifying experience, FOR A LIMITED TIME ONLY successfully molds darkness, mystery, and horror under the crust of romantic comedy. Prillaman uses every possible scenario when baking this play, buttering it with absurdity and humor to ensure each slice of the couple's life inside the "restaurant" hits as intended. I was left flabbergasted in the best way possible. (Abandon all hope ye with gluten intolerance.)

    Whoever thinks "hell is other people" clearly has not eaten bread before. A uniquely terrifying experience, FOR A LIMITED TIME ONLY successfully molds darkness, mystery, and horror under the crust of romantic comedy. Prillaman uses every possible scenario when baking this play, buttering it with absurdity and humor to ensure each slice of the couple's life inside the "restaurant" hits as intended. I was left flabbergasted in the best way possible. (Abandon all hope ye with gluten intolerance.)

  • Noah Tibbetts: Bohemian Rat City — Ten Minute Version by Maggie Smith
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    BOHEMIAN RAT CITY adopts a absurd voice on the pitfalls of humankind while simultaneously maintaining a comic flair. Painting in dark colors, Maggie Smith delivers an engaging twist to the "why do bad things happen to good people" quandary, which resonates amid today's political climate. I was also drawn to the verse structure of this piece, evocative of fate and free will tragedies. Quick and biting, this play adds a parenthetical question mark to the age old adage "this too shall pass."

    BOHEMIAN RAT CITY adopts a absurd voice on the pitfalls of humankind while simultaneously maintaining a comic flair. Painting in dark colors, Maggie Smith delivers an engaging twist to the "why do bad things happen to good people" quandary, which resonates amid today's political climate. I was also drawn to the verse structure of this piece, evocative of fate and free will tragedies. Quick and biting, this play adds a parenthetical question mark to the age old adage "this too shall pass."

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  • Noah Tibbetts: Open This When I'm Gone by Brent Alles
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    OPEN THIS WHEN I'M GONE offers two pairs of people coping with their own individual pain and perspectives on the difficult reality of failing/failed mental health. This play's structure surprised me many times. Just when he offers a sense of closure, Alles introduces a new trauma—if you read it, you'll know the moment—which made me engage with the play and its ideas further. A gripping and inventive take on what is a tragedy for too many people; the play holds your attention while not feeling too overwhelming.

    OPEN THIS WHEN I'M GONE offers two pairs of people coping with their own individual pain and perspectives on the difficult reality of failing/failed mental health. This play's structure surprised me many times. Just when he offers a sense of closure, Alles introduces a new trauma—if you read it, you'll know the moment—which made me engage with the play and its ideas further. A gripping and inventive take on what is a tragedy for too many people; the play holds your attention while not feeling too overwhelming.

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  • Noah Tibbetts: 11:11 by James Perry
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    Despite ultimately presenting the demise of all humanity, 11:11 left me thoroughly entertained! Time-travel offers a unique challenge to stage, but Perry's script and concept made visualizing the play easy and clear. I appreciate the tongue-in-cheek and meta nature of the play's setting(s), as we the audience who lived through these events know what happens next when, say, Will declares he is traveling to June 2020. It's a play about history and our place in it—and I'm glad my place included the day I read this play!

    Despite ultimately presenting the demise of all humanity, 11:11 left me thoroughly entertained! Time-travel offers a unique challenge to stage, but Perry's script and concept made visualizing the play easy and clear. I appreciate the tongue-in-cheek and meta nature of the play's setting(s), as we the audience who lived through these events know what happens next when, say, Will declares he is traveling to June 2020. It's a play about history and our place in it—and I'm glad my place included the day I read this play!

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  • Noah Tibbetts: Daddy Daughter Date: A Ten-Minute Play by Ryan Vaughan
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    The connection formed in DADDY DAUGHTER DATE made me take pause and remember the oft-forgotten players in tragedies like the one disclosed in the play: parents and EMTs. It's heart wrenching to see each person's pain manifest, but the bond formed from their mutual pain exhibits the power of community in full force. Vaughan's play is tight yet well-paced and raw yet refined, and Vaughan handles the play's subject material with grace and respect.

    The connection formed in DADDY DAUGHTER DATE made me take pause and remember the oft-forgotten players in tragedies like the one disclosed in the play: parents and EMTs. It's heart wrenching to see each person's pain manifest, but the bond formed from their mutual pain exhibits the power of community in full force. Vaughan's play is tight yet well-paced and raw yet refined, and Vaughan handles the play's subject material with grace and respect.

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  • Noah Tibbetts: Mandatory Post-Lunch Silent Disco Cardiotherapy by Annie Grey Smith
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    A certain kind of music manifests in CARDIOTHERAPY—and I don't only mean the dance tunes pumping through the silent disco headphones. The play is an unexpected yet profound sextet of voices, thoughts, and movement. How one tracks each character and what one pays attention to at what points individually shapes the meaning of the play, a meaning further amplified once all the music stops. Audiences have to work to understand it—perhaps that's the point. In all the best ways, CARDIOTHERAPY is an enigma worth reading and rereading, and I would love seeing it in performance.

    A certain kind of music manifests in CARDIOTHERAPY—and I don't only mean the dance tunes pumping through the silent disco headphones. The play is an unexpected yet profound sextet of voices, thoughts, and movement. How one tracks each character and what one pays attention to at what points individually shapes the meaning of the play, a meaning further amplified once all the music stops. Audiences have to work to understand it—perhaps that's the point. In all the best ways, CARDIOTHERAPY is an enigma worth reading and rereading, and I would love seeing it in performance.

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