Recommended by Morey Norkin

  • 1st Impressions
    8 May. 2022
    I struggle to write one play with a coherent beginning, middle, and end. In “1st Impressions,” Samantha Marchant has cleverly crafted three short plays, each of which can go in wildly enjoyable directions depending on audience choices. Regardless of the choices, the stories all reveal themselves to be closely connected in surprising ways. What fun for audiences and actors alike!
  • Melto Man and Lady Mantis
    7 May. 2022
    This play is just too funny for words! The setting alone, two super villains going over a tax return, is already hilarious. Then the dialogue delivers all the expected laughs. Two great characters that show we are all just one industrial accident away from living out our darkest thoughts.
  • Off the Map
    5 May. 2022
    Set in a Central American rain forest, Off the Map is a whirlwind of exploration, ancient rituals, mythology, and mystery. Denny and Claire are a middle aged couple trying early retirement and searching for the spark to rekindle their relationship. A pair of archeologists make an unusual discovery on their property and nothing is the same from that point on. The story will keep you guessing, the characters will keep you amused and engaged, and you’ll be glad you came along for the adventure!
  • Zeph and Violet: A Race Romance
    4 May. 2022
    With the 1991 riots in the Crown Heights area of Brooklyn as its background, Zeph and Violet: A Race Romance tells the story of an unexpected relationship between a young Hasidic Jewish man and a young Black woman. The characters are both quirky and charming and you can’t help but want for their happiness. Krystle Adams does a terrific job of dealing sensitively yet honestly with issues of religious and racial differences. An optimistic, hopeful piece. Something we could use more of.
  • Up Against the 4th Wall
    29 Apr. 2022
    Move over, Indiana Jones, there’s a new hero in town - Dash Malone! John Busser’s clever comedy features an archetypal matinee idol whose over-sharing with the audience foils multiple attempts to escape from the dastardly Captain Ramirez. In true serial adventure form, Busser even manages to leave us with a cliffhanger! I hope there’s a sequel in store!
  • Would You Like Help With That? *A Zoom Play*
    25 Apr. 2022
    This is a tender and moving story of an aging parent and their conflicted adult son. The soothing, non-judgmental voice of reason, encouragement, and compassion in the form of a virtual assistant, is such a nice touch. “Would You Like Help With That?” is written as a Zoom play, and it is perfect for that format. I’m sure a theater with the technical know how and a creative director could also make this a compelling piece for the stage!
  • She Tunes the Violin: The Life of Martha Jefferson
    22 Apr. 2022
    This play is simply brilliant. Focused on the short adult life of Martha Jefferson, She Tunes the Violin is heartbreaking, frustrating, and at times very funny as Fereind shines a spotlight on how Martha’s life and the lives of the Jefferson “servants” are subject to the white male patriarchy of colonial America. The scene where John Adams is reading from the Declaration of Independence is jaw-dropping. Read it and you’ll see what I mean. This play truly deserves to be produced, often!
  • No Theater Critics Were Harmed in the Writing of this Play
    19 Apr. 2022
    Here’s a predicament that works in a variety of contexts, making this short play enjoyable for all audiences. Who hasn’t hit send or enter and then wished they could retrieve the message before the intended target could read it? Do you keep writing and possibly dig a deeper hole? Or simply move on? So much possibility that will keep audiences buzzing afterwards.
  • Does it Bring You Joy? (A Monologue)
    18 Apr. 2022
    Like Sondheim’s Ladies Who Lunch, Edith in Does it Bring You Joy? Is not a happy person. She’s jealous of her presumably younger and fitter neighbor, her husband annoys her, and anything foreign seems like too much of a bother. Even the KondoMari Method can’t bring Edith joy. But in this short monologue, Nora Louise Syran manages to make Edith a sympathetic character. There is humor to be found, but it merely highlights the sad state of Edith’s life. A great challenge for an actor!
  • Beast
    18 Apr. 2022
    Beauty and the Beast may be a tale as old as time, but Lisa Dellagiarino Feriend’s Beast is a comic romp for our time! Adam, the former Beast, isn’t having it when the Old Beggar Woman who transformed him returns to cast her spell again. She claims Adam hasn’t learned the lesson that beauty resides within, but she is about as convincing as a land shark (SNL reference) and twice as funny. Great roles, especially if one actor plays the three males.

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