Recommended by Kelly McBurnette-Andronicos

So much I want to know about these two, mysterious women - Helen and Margaret. Martin packs in an entire, untold history in this one-minute play, while at the same time conveying so much.

I saw a wonderful reading of this short play - that slides gracefully into a monologue - at the Mid-America Theatre Conference. Both funny and devastating (a hallmark of Gonzalez' semi-autobiographical work), a father tries to come to terms with his own shortcomings while reconciling a difficult history with his own father. More than a "father play", this piece speaks to the angst of all parents.

This play was fun to see read at the Mid-America Theatre Conference. I enjoyed the multiple dilemmas and interpretations the audience is led to grapple with and ponder. Partain does a good job of building not one but two worlds in this short play, which encompasses the best of the sci-fi genre - futuristic without losing it's footing in humanity. Well done.

Ten-minute plays don’t often have the kind of vivid imagery this one does. Nor do they often have the time to switch from one world, to another, and back again. There’s a lot of story packed in this short play. I saw a reading of it at the Mid-America Theatre Conference, and it left me wanting to see a full production. A lovely short with some appropriately sharp edges.

A fast paced play with clearly defined characters, offering complex and comedic roles for women. What a welcome relief to have such characters to root for in a play that upends so many stereotypes. Gill confidently and consistently delivers strong women’s roles (see “The Mimosa War”) in situations we often don’t see them in but should. An authentic look into the unique marital-like relationships between band mates, this play would be so much fun to see live. I especially enjoyed the dramatic pressure from the riotous audience we never see.

Molly Wagner writes interpersonal relationships really well, and TIDE is no different. Selfish agendas, some rooted in religion while others are rooted in vanity and success, make for interesting conflict. Wagner does a good job of setting the tone and feel for the place she’s set the play as well. You can almost hear and smell the beach. A nice four-person play that would be easy to produce.

This play will change you on a molecular level. You may think you’re sitting passively through a one-man show, and you’ll be wrong. Intensely personal, this self-exposé forces the unwitting listener to serve as witness as Gonzalez lays his soul bare in an attempt to disrupt the curse of ancestral faults. It’s theatre cast as a spell, paletas de coco is the charm, and the stakes couldn’t be higher. Highly recommended.

Sweet and bitter. Too hot then just right. Spicy but comforting. Gill has whipped up a wonderfully rich monologue that uses a traditional family recipe as a metaphor to convey the dysfunctional nature of a mother/daughter relationship. The descriptions of food and landscape are so vivid you can almost smell the aroma. With its depth of meaning and complexity of subtext, this monologue would be a potent piece for an Indian-American actor (female) to use at competitions.

What I appreciate most about this play is how well it captures the time and place of the characters. The “progressive-for-the-times” reminders of how shockingly behind the characters’ stances all seem now. And how much progress women and society have made since our mothers were on the front lines of the “revolution.” How will our daughters and granddaughters view us? Finely crafted characters – each so flawed and thoroughly relatable – draws the reader into the quick-paced, family dysfunction. Thanks Dana Leslie Goldstein for this strangely uplifting but bittersweet reminder - We’ve come a long way, baby.

When I saw this staged reading at the Clay & Water 2020 Playwrights' Retreat, I wouldn't have thought a play about Millennials would resonate so soundly with such a broad age group. But there they were, Millennials and Boomers laughing side-by-side. Zingy one-liners, inter-generational appeal, and a fun ensemble of characters make this play a delightful romp. Great choice for a college or community theatre production.