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Kelly McBurnette-Andronicos

Recommended by Kelly McBurnette-Andronicos

  • Come Again by Lisa Dellagiarino Feriend
    17 Sep. 2023
    “ Dellagiarino Feriend’s full-length play, “Come Again” features characters that are fresh, endearing, with a premise that’s timely and critically important. What she does so well here is the switching back and forth between high humor and sobering reality. It’s a really funny play about a really terrifying subject. It’s a marvel how she is able to deftly weave in so many relevant complicating factors that illuminate the complexities of the climate crisis. Race, class, regionalism, religion, capitalism, each receive their due. This is the kind of smart, effective theatre I like to see. Well done. ”
  • Counter Programming (MONOLOGUE) by Paul Donnelly
    8 Sep. 2023
    “ You got to feel for Sandy, our central figure, and the predicament she finds herself in. AGAIN. Donnelly’s anecdote to the “same old, same old” Christmas programming (which, by the way, thank you for addressing!) is really something quite…the opposite. I enjoyed the hopeless, disgruntlement of our promotional copy writer for the theater who’s forced to promote the same show every year (no, not THAT show). But the meat in this piece is the subtext, which added much depth and richness to an otherwise light and comical monologue. Well done. ”
  • The Rotary Phone by Andrew Martineau
    7 Sep. 2023
    “ As I've said before, you know you love a play when you wish you'd written it yourself, or you want to be cast in it. For me, this play is both! The premise is brilliant, the resulting dialogue is hilarious, the generational pokes go both ways, and Martineau even throws in some social criticism for good measure - like a good playwright does. What a delight this play would be to see fully staged. It will likely have a long tenure on the list of my most favorite shorts on NPX. Highly recommend! ”
  • The Burning by Courtenay Schembri Gray
    4 Sep. 2023
    “ Reminiscent of Sarte’s “No Exit”, “The Burning” throws four characters together to manage a hot, snowy night trapped in a Swiss chalet. Poetic, dark, surreal and far from predictable, this short play packs plenty of action in its 10 minutes. And Gray sets an exquisitely macabre mood, too. Excellent choice for a night of dark and gloomy theater. I’d love to see it performed. ”
  • My Body is a Sewer by Emma Goldman-Sherman
    1 Sep. 2023
    “ Goldman-Sherman packs a gut punch in this short monologue about anxiety and fear manifesting as very real physical pain. What a great choice for a competition. Almost guaranteed you’ll not see another like it. Really well done. ”
  • Shiva for an Atheist by Darrin Friedman
    18 Aug. 2023
    “ A fascinating portrait of the not-so-perfect American family struggling with inherited trauma, impending elder death, and how to move the next generation forward. The matriarch, Hilde, is one of the most complex characters I’ve encountered on NPX, and I found myself wrestling with the same mixed feelings about her as her own family. On another level entirely, the play serves a survey of American societal culture and mores through the generations and illustrates how those impacted this family and their decisions in very real ways. A smart, tense, well done drama. ”
  • Ghosts by George Sapio
    6 Aug. 2023
    “ What struck me first about Sapio’s play, GHOSTS, was its dialogue. Realistic and effortless, the language felt authentic and natural. Some of the best I’ve read in that regard. It was easy to hear these characters speak. What I enjoyed thinking about after having finished the play was the way Sapio exploited ghosts and its meaning. The story gives us traditional/classic ghosts, but also the ghosts of former selves, the ghosts of the undead, the ghosts of trauma, and the lingering presence of ghosts of a physical place. So many interesting staging possibilities, too. An enjoyable read. ”
  • NIGHT OF A THOUSAND SIPS by Charles Scott Jones
    1 Aug. 2023
    “ You can just feel the magnetic pull of the whiskey sour for our speaker. Nice build of anxiety for the listener/reader as we wait to see how she’s going to get herself out of this precarious situation. Well done. ”
  • I know you-A monologue by Ryan Vaughan
    1 Aug. 2023
    “ I like the forcefulness, the confidence of the speaker because it makes me believe this foster parent is going to find that miracle the foster child desperately needs. A heart-felt and satisfying monologue. Well done. ”
  • Holy Fire by Tom Moran
    24 Jul. 2023
    “ I chose to read this longer one-act of Moran's because of the historical subject matter, and it didn't disappoint. Not only did I learn about a little known event but also about the church culture that possibly lead to its happening. Unfortunately, we can see the through line of many of the same gendered inequities today. I particularly appreciated the more modern language and tone of the play, though the it's set in the 17th century. An enjoyable read. ”

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