Recommended by Brent Alles

A lovely 10 minute... funny in the right places... touching and tender in the right places. Culturally fulfilling if you may be unfamiliar, but there's universality at work here as well. Grief and loss touch us all, whether we know the right thing to bring to the funeral or not. I can definitely see this piece entertaining and moving audiences who get the chance to see it. Wonderful characters created within a short time, and it was definitely great to get to spend time with them upon reading.

An incredibly dark piece of satire here, and I think I kind of loved it. Theater should push buttons, shouldn't it? This play definitely does. There are truths to be found here, to be sure, but the absurdism is ramped up to "11" and so much the better for it. If you want a contemporary "Wonderland," you can look here, and it's perhaps not surprising that our current times have shaped Carroll's original madness to what is found in this work. This play certainly moves fast enough to perhaps give one palpitations, but hey, enjoy the thrill ride, all right?

This adaptation was a lot of fun, and I definitely think it's going to go over well with the young (and young-at-heart) audiences that it's designed for. The use of "clapping games" at the beginning sets the energy effectively and then we're off. Nicely nostalgic for the time period of the original work; it also doesn't seem dated but instead fresh and engaging (even if grandparents may need to explain just who David Cassidy is, I suppose - but they should learn!). Great characters for actors of all types to perform. Really groovy work by Hansen - I dug it!

A creepy one act indeed that keeps you off balance and so much the better to feel the impact of what's occurring. Dark, cruel laughs sprinkled throughout, perhaps, but the sense of dread is palpable and yet we don't turn away. A pinch of "grand guignol" towards the end seems appropriate to the whole affair. A fascinating scene here, one that stays with you for a bit after you've concluded. Or have you?

It's of course important to continue to make work like this to shine a light on the darkest part of humanity. However, Tennant doesn't stop there. This piece has so much of an exploration of the human condition that it was incredibly gripping to read and experience. The irony presented here is heavy indeed. My head and heart had much to ponder after the reading. It's an incredible piece on many levels, but at its core, it's two humans trying to cope with absolute inhumanity. An inhumanity that we need to liberate ourselves from no matter what it takes.

I'm a sucker for any subversion of the Western genre, and you have a deft subversion here by Hass. The language used by the two characters is authentic, and you're drawn into the situation by the dialogue that unfolds. I wasn't ready for the heft of emotion that developed in this play, but that made it more of a wonder in the end. Hass has something here in this 10-minute, and honestly, it could definitely be developed into a fuller story if so desired. Until then, this is an effective piece examining connection in a "world" rarely witnessed previously.

Delightful. The first scene is heartwarming, charming, and still funny. Then we get more of an absurdity in the "second half" and that's a winner as well. I laughed heartily, imagining it being staged. Plumridge always has a way with comic timing and phrasing in his work, and this one is no exception. Much happens in this short play, and it's all enjoyable.

Excellent satire here. Get in, nail the church (quite effectively!), and get out. But wait, there's more! There's also a lot of sharp parody here of current culture OUTSIDE the Holy See. Clarke definitely knew how to hit my "dark comedy" funny bone with this piece. Many laughs... I enjoyed it much!

First off, I was incredibly nostalgic for my own days of being an RA: campus life and the challenges and accomplishments that came with it. That was ages ago (eep), and I can only imagine what it's like these days. Heyman's work here gives some contemporary illumination, as it's an insightful, usually charming, sometimes cautionary tale of where people are today and where people still need to get. For a ten minute, there's not a "neat bow," but there's a hopeful outlook that I really appreciated. I look forward to reading the other Tales From the Hill. An impressive beginning!

I was drawn in just by the description of the first two characters and a notion of the narrative. And then, then, more revelations come forward. Heyman's subject made me research further, and with that knowledge in hand, it just deepened my experience with this wonderful one act. I often found myself catching my breath at the beautiful passages that occur. Sometimes just the stage directions! But it's these characters... so, so very human, that truly stick with me after completing the reading. This play is going to stay in my mind and on my heart for a while. Magnificent.