Recommended by Joe Swenson

Damn… Cole takes a seeming benign situation and throws a little tension at it, then a little more tension at it, then a little more tension at it. Then? This incredible playwright hits you with inescapable tension. You were already committed and boom Cole knocks you out with an accusation and a denial that wasn’t going away. Fantastic show Cole!

The incredible depth of this thriller. Hannah Lee DeFrates has built a complicated story that allows you to remain on the surface if you want or you can dive as deep as you’d like into the pathos of each character. The torture and torment behind The Day is brilliantly displayed and the ambiguity behind what October 16th must be like and October 18th is enough to keep you thinking about this show. Some of us can relate stronger to this story and overall it is a must see! Brilliant work!

What an incredible script. It’s hilarious, it has gadgets and gizmos, clowns, and more in this unique take on a common situation, marriage counseling. Randy Hunt does an incredible of building the tension and the humor until you can’t take it anymore. Every character is unique and Randy’s character architecture keeps them unique and well defined. Great show, highly recommend.

John Busser attacks this 10 minute play with a rawness that has you uncomfortable from the outset. While you might know something is missing, John distracts you with quick hard-hitting dialogue. If you don't squirm, tense up, or otherwise involuntarily react to the back-and-forth between father and son, you might not be human. This show does that and more and then... hits you with an incredible twist that you anticipate from the beginning, but forget about it as emotions and tensions continuously shift throughout the short play. Brilliant play John Busser!

Wow. Incredible show and to find out it's the first scene of a full length show, can't wait to read the rest of the show. As a stand-alone, it's brilliant. The relationship between the two siblings, so relatable. I think the thing that really makes this a next level show is how John Busser gets you rooting for both siblings and against both siblings at certain points. There's a real tug-of-war in emotion and especially grief. Beautiful play.

Brilliant! I love that the obviousness of one of the character's name. I love the interaction. I absolutely love the button. It's Brilliant!

Hannah has this neat way of getting into the character's heads in step with the pace of the show. In addition, she does such a subtle way of bringing trauma to just below the surface, enough to let you know it's there, but not to the point of interrupting the momentum or purpose of the story. Fear, isolation, impact, all things that immediately come to mind once you read this show that is part of a much larger series. The momentum brings you to holding hands and the power of the gesture and comfort of the action. Brilliant! Loved it!

Hannah Lee DeFrates take reality suspends it, twists it, and somehow paints these amazing pictures where you don't care about them making sense until it's required by the narrative. You are so engrossed in the creative that the story only matters when Hannah makes it matter. That's the best I can describe what this play means to me. DeFrates' is so purposeful in her writing that she shows you why the butterflies start to flutter away without telling you the exact reason why they are fluttering away. I'm blown away by this amazing piece of art. Truly remarkable Hannah!

When telling a ghost story the bests ones come from an authentic place. These also require a bit of genius. Christopher Soucy has both in the delivery and in the story telling. The authentic emotionally traumatic event that Sam experiences twice and the genuine “Tuesday at Morey’s” feel in the back half of the play. Beautifully done.

In the middle of this play, there is a monologue where Cole Hunter Dzubak unloads very hard hitting and extremely accurate karma based behaviors that we all irrationalize as reasons why bad things happen. Cole's writing lets the audience react in time to the events without anticipation due to the subtleness of the rule breaking that is taking place with Trevor. The story of Charlie could be anyone's story and not everyone has a Trevor to protect them from the effects of depression. I could see this show being extended to a series about Trevor. Really great work Cole!