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!
  • A Good One
    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 (from the THE WRINKLE RANCH AND OTHER PLAYS ABOUT GROWING OLD collection)
    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 one-act play for 5 women plus optional additional characters
    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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