Recommended by Arthur M Jolly

Beautifully written, utterly relatable - such a simple request between cousins, and encompassing so much history, so much meaning, so much well-crafted back story... an excellent play which I hope will be performed in high schools around the country. They need it.

I saw the reading at the Valdez Theatre Conference, and it brought tears to my eyes. This is a powerful, important, brilliant piece of work. The sexual tension between the two characters - and the use of that connection as a deflection and as a coping mechanism - is nuanced and as multi-faceted as a diamond. The analogies - of America as a sundown town; of holding in a scream while gas fills a building... stunning. This play needs to be produced.

Greg Romero has such a distinctive voice as a writer - and in this collaboration with soundscape designer Mike Vernusky, Romero has once again achieved something haunting, compelling and original - a theatrical experience unlike any other writer out there.
I saw it at the Valdez Theatre Conference, with the sound design playing, which adds so much. For theatres looking for something immersive for your audience - read this play.

A brilliant, dystopian vision of a future where the economically disenfranchised denizens of a homeless camp struggle for their survival, their place in the world, and their human dignity. It might be loosely based on Persuasion, but it is a deeply original, fascinating version. I saw the reading at the Valdez theatre conference, and it was mesmerizing. Well worth a read!

A delightfully imaginative series of short plays as the cast of a Survivor-style reality show are faced with actual survival after a cataclysm ends civilization. I was lucky enough to see a reading of the first three episodes at the Valdez Theatre Conference - very funny for reality TV diehard fans and un-observers alike!

I was privileged to see the reading at the Valdez Theatre Conference - such a powerful play, a true Southern Gothic, raising questions of inherited violence, and the intersection of school/church shootings, toxic masculinity and the enduring legacy of racism.
This play tackles big questions, and does so extremely well - while portraying a fascinating, dysfunctional family that won't soon be forgotten, as they wrestle with the question of what their son might have to do with a shooting - and whether to finally cut down the "hanging tree" that has stood on their property for far too long.

I saw the reading at the Valdez Last Frontier Theatre Conference of this wonderfully theatrical, absurdist play. The opening, and other scenes, told in stage action rather than dialogue, would make this a fantastic director's showpiece, while the complex characters would provide a great opportunity for talented actors. The themes are heavy, but there is so much humor in the play. Well done!

Another phenomenal play by Wellman - perhaps her best work yet. Kill Shelter is harrowing, profound, moving, heartbreaking - and ultimately hopeful. The mother/daughter relationship at the heart of the play is a brilliant portrayal of the complexities of family dynamics - all set against a heightened emotional world where life and death decisions are never abstract.

Hysterically funny, deeply inappropriate, raunchy and risqué without being crass... who doesn't love an exquisitely balanced sex comedy? Plus, this one is driven by an emotional core that works and works well. Staats is one of the funniest playwrights out there.

Tantalizing, captivating - truly a fascinating short play. I read it twice - it's wonderfully theatrical, maddeningly intriguing. I'm not sure I could tell you exactly what the "truth" is in their relationship, but therein lies the treat of this play - something powerful for a pair of talented actors and their director to explore! The opening moment where she pricks her finger on the surprise roses is so clever, and wraps through to the end... such fantastic writing.