Recommended by Jennifer O'Grady

  • Jagged Journey
    27 Mar. 2023
    Gartner's play is a moving coming-of-age story and a theatrical exploration of living with a disability-in this case, epilepsy, personified by a wonderfully surprising character named Epilepsy. Read and produce it!
  • The Curious Tale of Marston Moore's Untimely Demise
    2 Mar. 2023
    Hilarious exchange between recently deceased Martson and St. Peter (here, a bored young woman) at the "pearly gates" as they try to figure out how Marston actually died. I also love God as a ten-year-old girl. This would be so much fun to see and to perform!
  • Speed Dating
    2 Mar. 2023
    I was fortunate to see a recent production of this lovely and funny short play exploring grief and aging, as two lonely older people attempt speed-dating, with some surprising results.
  • THE PICKUP
    2 Mar. 2023
    I was fortunate to see a recent production of this wonderfully surprising short play. So much fun!
  • The Flemish Master
    22 Feb. 2023
    Lovely play about family and preparing for the end of life. Moving and uplifting.
  • Never Turn Your Back on the Ocean
    22 Feb. 2023
    Set in post-climate-apocalyptic Kauai, Lawing's fantastic play is a wonderful theatrical blend of humor and horror, as three clueless humans, the species responsible for wrecking the earth, encounter a god who has something unexpected in store for them. I would so love to see this on stage!
  • THE DATING POOL, a 15-minute play for 5 women
    26 Jan. 2023
    Utter delight of a play from Rose, whose plays I love for their emotional range and theatrical inventiveness. Here, a woman of 61 converses with her various younger selves--and shares some not-so-great news about what's ahead for them--with a fabulous mix of laugh-out-loud humor and great poignancy. With a flexible cast and fantastic roles for women, this would be a blast to perform and will appeal to audiences everywhere. I would love to see it on stage!
  • The Oktavist
    6 Jan. 2023
    I adore historical plays and love them even more when they're able to lift us out of their period into our own, as Gatton's skillful play does with its beautifully-realized characters and still-vital themes. So much going on beneath the surface of this moving and poetic play. Deserving of many productions!
  • Marianas Trench (Part One of The Second World Trilogy)
    5 Nov. 2022
    This is such a beautiful play. Set in a harrowing dystopian U.S., Sickles' expertly written play feels urgent and timely despite its imagined-future setting. I love the characters and the surprising moments of humor amid all the heartache. Lingers long after reading and deserves many productions.
  • The Age of Understanding or, The Character of Dad
    20 Oct. 2022
    Absolutely beautiful, painful, and completely unflinching short play about fatherhood. Gonzalez is a master playwright--if you haven't yet read his work, please do yourself a favor and read it.

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