Recommended by Brent Alles

I absolutely loved this adaptation that David has created here. It's kind of amazing to read a fresh take on this story that's been done so many times, but here we go. The world building is just great. The emphasis on female characters is refreshing and a unique new twist to this old story. The pacing is excellent... I often found myself on the edge of my seat even though I do indeed know the original story very well. An audio drama that is going to thrill audiences when they get to hear it!

I love the dark morality play that we have here. Chloe and David are indeed a lovable and engaging couple until they're plunged into a nightmare beyond their control. The exploration of just what one would do to get their "dreams" back is intriguing, compelling, and yes, a bit terrifying. Once we hit the "danger point," this definitely keeps you on the edge of your seats in terms of what's going to happen next. Great stuff!

A very inventive and funny 10-minute here. It's interesting that even though the play doesn't go "full anthropomorphic," a lot of humanity still surprisingly shines through. In addition to that, there is a lot of humorous word play here that I appreciated. Several of the allusions brought a grin to my face. This play is definitely not a wolf in sheep's clothing... it's the real deal in terms of providing an entertaining scene for the festival that is lucky enough to have it.

Wow, what an intense reworking of Poe's original work with a contemporary angle and edge that just fits it to a tee. Read it and listened to the audio version on The Ugly Radio (which was an excellent performance!) and just admired it so much. Loved Hall's successful retelling of a classic tale and finding a new way to haunt people with it. Excellent!

A really fascinating sci-fi rumination here, with shades of Ellison, Vonnegut, and even perhaps Woody Allen's "Sleeper" thrown in to good effect. The premise certainly allows for some deep philosophical and even theological examination as to just what it means to be human. Ultimately, that is what the best science fiction can do, and Byham has created an excellent example of science fiction here. What's surprising is the warmth and love that we're able to get from the described situation... no easy task. I was totally engaged by this story and would love to see it staged at some point.

I had the pleasure of seeing this live in June 2024, and it was just great. Interesting characters, a good message for young audiences, and a lot of inventive ways to use dance and movement to express that what can't be easily expressed. But isn't that the way? Excellent parts for actors to tackle and an enjoyable theater experience all around. Highly recommended!

An inventive and engaging storytelling endeavor, as indicated by the title. Interesting and complicated characters are eventually revealed in full. Shakir pulls off an effective puzzle creation here that, when revealed in full, leaves us with much to think about in terms of love, family, and growing up. This was definitely an enjoyable read and would be very interesting to see staged at some point!

Fearlessly funny, necessarily profane, and uncompromising in nature to a fault, "Broken Iris" certainly meets its mission statement to make "beauty out of decay." The characters in this are fascinating from the start, and their described lives are certainly compelling. The choices made by Unwin in telling this story are sometimes surprising but often thrilling in terms of challenging us as readers (and, eventually, viewers). The imagery used throughout made this one of the most three dimensional pieces I've read in quite a while. I would truly love to see this staged. It stands out as a truly remarkable work.

Tremendous piece of work here, epic in scope and yet filled with empathy and humanity as we take a deep look at the hell of war. In the middle of that, we have love stories that are fully developed and tragic in nature. Staging is just tremendous in terms of just how to portray the war and battle scenes that will certainly have audiences on the edge of their seats. The ending is just devastating but so well earned. Incredible adaptation of one of the first noteworthy pieces of cinema, and this theatrical experience would be similarly heroic. Highly recommended!

A touching story about family struggles of all types and how one might overcome them, even if it may not be to immediate satisfaction. Wryly funny where it needs to be and yet filled with moments of genunine empathy to take the edge off where needed. The narrative is engaging, and you really come to care for these characters very quickly. I found myself rooting for all of them, even if I knew that the answers weren't going to come to them easily (and nor should they). Terrific slice of life. Can't wait to see this staged in the future!