Recommended by Jillian Blevins

  •

    Maggie Kearnan’s bitingly funny and ferociously smart cry of feminine rage demands that we hold men accountable—by whatever means necessary. A propulsive Greek chorus imbues the play with timeless urgency. Echoes of both The Bacchae and The Crucible ring throughout, yet LIKE FLIES feels totally new. The play’s nuanced second act explores the moral complexities of revenge and revolution—the toll taken on the soul, and the ethical blind spots revealed when the oppressed become the powerful.

    Maggie Kearnan’s bitingly funny and ferociously smart cry of feminine rage demands that we hold men accountable—by whatever means necessary. A propulsive Greek chorus imbues the play with timeless urgency. Echoes of both The Bacchae and The Crucible ring throughout, yet LIKE FLIES feels totally new. The play’s nuanced second act explores the moral complexities of revenge and revolution—the toll taken on the soul, and the ethical blind spots revealed when the oppressed become the powerful.

  •

    If Lovecraft were a feminist/not a dick, he would have loved this play. IN THE SLUSH defies categorization: a hilarious existentialist cosmic-horror-thriller with mind-bending twists and slam-poetry sequences that are equal parts absurd and profound. The rules of storytelling are effectively subverted again and again, evidencing a mastery of and irreverence for narrative convention. With themes of female rage, bodily autonomy, nihilism and free will, SLUSH is Prillaman at the top of his game.

    If Lovecraft were a feminist/not a dick, he would have loved this play. IN THE SLUSH defies categorization: a hilarious existentialist cosmic-horror-thriller with mind-bending twists and slam-poetry sequences that are equal parts absurd and profound. The rules of storytelling are effectively subverted again and again, evidencing a mastery of and irreverence for narrative convention. With themes of female rage, bodily autonomy, nihilism and free will, SLUSH is Prillaman at the top of his game.

  •

    A dreamlike short exploring love, grief, death and magic -- not without touches of humor that ground Andersen's star-crossed sapphic lovers and make them heart-breakingly real. The central image of the play invites inventive and poetic staging.

    A dreamlike short exploring love, grief, death and magic -- not without touches of humor that ground Andersen's star-crossed sapphic lovers and make them heart-breakingly real. The central image of the play invites inventive and poetic staging.

  •

    If you’ve ever thought to yourself, “I wish Shakespeare In Love were a little more like Game of Thrones,” then you must read TATG. This masterful political thriller combines edge-of-your-seat twists & turns with a richly drawn, well-researched historical setting. Boyle cuts through our tendency to romanticize Elizabethan England with razor-sharp dialogue revealing the ruthless political climate roiling underneath. Like Horatio, we’re immersed in the intrigue from the first lines to the last.

    If you’ve ever thought to yourself, “I wish Shakespeare In Love were a little more like Game of Thrones,” then you must read TATG. This masterful political thriller combines edge-of-your-seat twists & turns with a richly drawn, well-researched historical setting. Boyle cuts through our tendency to romanticize Elizabethan England with razor-sharp dialogue revealing the ruthless political climate roiling underneath. Like Horatio, we’re immersed in the intrigue from the first lines to the last.

  •

    Bella Poyton's comedy about eating disorders & beauty standards doesn't preach or offer easy answers. Led by complex, spiky female characters, Fat Actress/Ugly Model... feels like a feminist answer to Neil LaBute, exploring the messy ways patriarchy, media, & internalized misogyny manifest in our interpersonal relationships & shape our realities. With a darkly funny edge that will have you unsure whether to laugh or cringe, the play saves any sentiment for Daphne & Jess' authentic friendship.

    Bella Poyton's comedy about eating disorders & beauty standards doesn't preach or offer easy answers. Led by complex, spiky female characters, Fat Actress/Ugly Model... feels like a feminist answer to Neil LaBute, exploring the messy ways patriarchy, media, & internalized misogyny manifest in our interpersonal relationships & shape our realities. With a darkly funny edge that will have you unsure whether to laugh or cringe, the play saves any sentiment for Daphne & Jess' authentic friendship.

  • Jillian Blevins: Hedda or, A Vain Struggle or, The Earth Without Form by Franky D. Gonzalez
    “

    Hedda Gabler has always been a puzzle for actors and audiences. A woman without a moral compass. hungry for chaos and self-destruction, as inscrutable as she is fascinating. Gonzalez's Hedda is a monstrous avatar of White Feminism: unaccountable to anything but her own desires, happy to oppress others when it suits her aims, and individualistic to a dire fault. This HEDDA is terrifying not because she's impossible to understand--it's worse. She's holding up a mirror. A brilliant adaptation.

    Hedda Gabler has always been a puzzle for actors and audiences. A woman without a moral compass. hungry for chaos and self-destruction, as inscrutable as she is fascinating. Gonzalez's Hedda is a monstrous avatar of White Feminism: unaccountable to anything but her own desires, happy to oppress others when it suits her aims, and individualistic to a dire fault. This HEDDA is terrifying not because she's impossible to understand--it's worse. She's holding up a mirror. A brilliant adaptation.

    ”
  • Jillian Blevins: TWO CATCHERS by Brad Goren-Wilson
    “

    Calling it now: TWO CATCHERS is gonna be a huge deal. This play has everything going for it—a truly original coming of age story, relevance both topical and timeless—-but its greatest strength is the tender, complicated teen romance at its heart. Phoebe and Connor’s connection is inexplicable, erotic, subversive, and rooted in seeing and being seen. Goren-Wilson writes queerness in a way that feels revelatory; in TC, identity is expansive and indefinable, an exploration rather than a label.

    Calling it now: TWO CATCHERS is gonna be a huge deal. This play has everything going for it—a truly original coming of age story, relevance both topical and timeless—-but its greatest strength is the tender, complicated teen romance at its heart. Phoebe and Connor’s connection is inexplicable, erotic, subversive, and rooted in seeing and being seen. Goren-Wilson writes queerness in a way that feels revelatory; in TC, identity is expansive and indefinable, an exploration rather than a label.

    ”
  • Jillian Blevins: Infernalium by Daniel Prillaman
    “

    In INFERNALIUM, Daniel Prillaman has rendered a wholly original coming of age story bursting with his signature absurdist humanism. Helena’s journey is uniquely compelling and completely relatable, casting her quest for self-knowledge as a fantasy-adventure filled with magic, theatricality, humor, a dance sequence for the ages, and important fire safety information. INFERNALIUM captures how “be yourself” is a much more complicated proposition than we give it credit for—and still worth the risk.

    In INFERNALIUM, Daniel Prillaman has rendered a wholly original coming of age story bursting with his signature absurdist humanism. Helena’s journey is uniquely compelling and completely relatable, casting her quest for self-knowledge as a fantasy-adventure filled with magic, theatricality, humor, a dance sequence for the ages, and important fire safety information. INFERNALIUM captures how “be yourself” is a much more complicated proposition than we give it credit for—and still worth the risk.

    ”
  • Jillian Blevins: JUST LIKE TETRAPHOBIA a ten-minute play by Cassie M. Seinuk
    “

    An endearing romcom and slyly smart allegory, JUST LIKE TETRAPHOBIA playfully explores how exposure to the unknown is a fundamental part of the college experience (and growing up). For many of us, college is the first time we confront “the other” in real life—and more often than not, the reality doesn’t match the construction we’ve been taught to fear. With unpretentious dialogue and relatable vulnerability, Seinuk’s short offers two great roles for young actors (and a fun costuming opportunity)

    An endearing romcom and slyly smart allegory, JUST LIKE TETRAPHOBIA playfully explores how exposure to the unknown is a fundamental part of the college experience (and growing up). For many of us, college is the first time we confront “the other” in real life—and more often than not, the reality doesn’t match the construction we’ve been taught to fear. With unpretentious dialogue and relatable vulnerability, Seinuk’s short offers two great roles for young actors (and a fun costuming opportunity)

    ”
  • Jillian Blevins: DOUG DIGS IN by Steven G. Martin
    “

    This unexpectedly moving two-hander speaks to modern anxieties; in a world that never shuts up and where we’re always plugged in, who among us hasn’t fantasized about disappearing? The conflict, of course, is that leaving the world behind would mean leaving our loved ones too. Steve Martin’s DOUG DIGS IN thoughtfully explores this tension in ten minutes without oversimplifying or offering easy answers.

    This unexpectedly moving two-hander speaks to modern anxieties; in a world that never shuts up and where we’re always plugged in, who among us hasn’t fantasized about disappearing? The conflict, of course, is that leaving the world behind would mean leaving our loved ones too. Steve Martin’s DOUG DIGS IN thoughtfully explores this tension in ten minutes without oversimplifying or offering easy answers.

    ”