Recommended by Brian James Polak

  • Brian James Polak: WAR PAINTING by Caridad Svich
    “

    War Painting is a biting dark comedy that questions the value of art and relationships in the pressure cooker of the world's demise. It skewers wealth and its accompanying head-in-the-sand mentality and forces us to question what we value as everything around us collapses.

    War Painting is a biting dark comedy that questions the value of art and relationships in the pressure cooker of the world's demise. It skewers wealth and its accompanying head-in-the-sand mentality and forces us to question what we value as everything around us collapses.

    ”

  • I saw Melancholics Anonymous's fantastic production of WORM TEETH in Minneapolis and it did not disappoint. This is a fun, whimsical, interactive play that is full of both darkness and joy.

    I saw Melancholics Anonymous's fantastic production of WORM TEETH in Minneapolis and it did not disappoint. This is a fun, whimsical, interactive play that is full of both darkness and joy.

  •

    I love how this play takes its central character on a journey through the past in order to arrive in the present only now with clarity and grounding they never had before. This is a wonderfully theatrical play that feels as much like a fable or fairytale as it does a reckoning of reality.

    I love how this play takes its central character on a journey through the past in order to arrive in the present only now with clarity and grounding they never had before. This is a wonderfully theatrical play that feels as much like a fable or fairytale as it does a reckoning of reality.

  •

    A funny, beautiful, and truly remarkable play about finding a place where one can be their true self. So many moments in this play continue to resonate with me after finishing: the contradictory yearning to leave home and accompanying fear, the feeling of not belonging anywhere you find yourself, and returning to a place of comfort to find it obscured by time. DIRT is a magical and heartfelt play.

    A funny, beautiful, and truly remarkable play about finding a place where one can be their true self. So many moments in this play continue to resonate with me after finishing: the contradictory yearning to leave home and accompanying fear, the feeling of not belonging anywhere you find yourself, and returning to a place of comfort to find it obscured by time. DIRT is a magical and heartfelt play.

  •

    There is something ineffable I love about this play. It feels alive in a real tangible way... like the script itself is a living breathing entity. I imagine this play when performed could lend itself to repeat viewings, revealing something new and surprising night in and night out. This is a great work of art and a joy to behold.

    There is something ineffable I love about this play. It feels alive in a real tangible way... like the script itself is a living breathing entity. I imagine this play when performed could lend itself to repeat viewings, revealing something new and surprising night in and night out. This is a great work of art and a joy to behold.

  •

    8 Near-Death Experiences is brilliantly constructed like the experience of a person suffering from mental illness or being in the orbit of a person suffering from it. You’re adrift. The ground is constantly shifting beneath your feet. Your thoughts ping pong from one idea to the next to a memory to a fear before spiraling out of control. This beautiful play is about holding on and letting go and simply trying to survive in the liminal space between.

    8 Near-Death Experiences is brilliantly constructed like the experience of a person suffering from mental illness or being in the orbit of a person suffering from it. You’re adrift. The ground is constantly shifting beneath your feet. Your thoughts ping pong from one idea to the next to a memory to a fear before spiraling out of control. This beautiful play is about holding on and letting go and simply trying to survive in the liminal space between.

  • Brian James Polak: Better by Vince Gatton
    “

    Such an incredible play. The characters explode of the page and the dialogue is like a locomotive at full speed. This play is full of surprises and I loved reading it.

    Such an incredible play. The characters explode of the page and the dialogue is like a locomotive at full speed. This play is full of surprises and I loved reading it.

    ”
  • Brian James Polak: IVERA by Antonia Cruz-Kent
    “

    This is a fantastic and gorgeous play. I love it.

    This is a fantastic and gorgeous play. I love it.

    ”
  • Brian James Polak: Mud & Fire: The Pottery Play by Lindsay Joelle
    “

    Mud & Fire is a powerful story about immigration and belonging. It's also fun, funny, and smart like all Lindsay Joelle's plays. I was hooked from the jump when the world of the play involved pottery, something I know nothing about but am fascinated by. The character's occupying the world are charming, clever, and imperfect yet perfect vessels for this story. I really hope this play finds a life on stages all over the country because not only will people enjoy it, I think it will do some good.

    Mud & Fire is a powerful story about immigration and belonging. It's also fun, funny, and smart like all Lindsay Joelle's plays. I was hooked from the jump when the world of the play involved pottery, something I know nothing about but am fascinated by. The character's occupying the world are charming, clever, and imperfect yet perfect vessels for this story. I really hope this play finds a life on stages all over the country because not only will people enjoy it, I think it will do some good.

    ”
  • Brian James Polak: I Don't Like You by Rosie Narasaki
    “

    This play is three shots of espresso. I love its pace. I love its dialogue. It feels very much of our culture today. Did I mention this play is funny? It's funny. It's very funny. I'm a sucker for two-handers, meta theatricality, and smart writing. So basically the play was written for me.

    This play is three shots of espresso. I love its pace. I love its dialogue. It feels very much of our culture today. Did I mention this play is funny? It's funny. It's very funny. I'm a sucker for two-handers, meta theatricality, and smart writing. So basically the play was written for me.

    ”