Recommended by James Kelsey Nelson

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    A warm and good-natured spin on the classic fable (with some great animal puns) that itself becomes a fable of sorts. The themes of alienation and status would play well for a young crowd who lives them every day in their own schools.

    A warm and good-natured spin on the classic fable (with some great animal puns) that itself becomes a fable of sorts. The themes of alienation and status would play well for a young crowd who lives them every day in their own schools.

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    A fun exploration of an offbeat premise that packs in plenty of jokes and bits, but there's also a touching friendship anchoring the story.

    A fun exploration of an offbeat premise that packs in plenty of jokes and bits, but there's also a touching friendship anchoring the story.

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    A gentle and sad family drama about a man's battle with dementia and its reverberations throughout the lives of his loved ones. The side stories of the family members are nicely drawn and flesh out the play in a rich way. It's a difficult but rewarding read, and it resonates whether or not you've seen someone close to you suffer in a similar way.

    A gentle and sad family drama about a man's battle with dementia and its reverberations throughout the lives of his loved ones. The side stories of the family members are nicely drawn and flesh out the play in a rich way. It's a difficult but rewarding read, and it resonates whether or not you've seen someone close to you suffer in a similar way.

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    Funny meta-theatre piece that keeps peeling off layers, satirizing the writer ego, the male gaze, and the craft of playwriting all in one fell swoop.

    Funny meta-theatre piece that keeps peeling off layers, satirizing the writer ego, the male gaze, and the craft of playwriting all in one fell swoop.

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    A creepy and buoyant play - we can tell something's very wrong from the top, but the buildup is a joy and the payoff at the end is delicious.

    A creepy and buoyant play - we can tell something's very wrong from the top, but the buildup is a joy and the payoff at the end is delicious.

  • James Kelsey Nelson: Help Me/Shoot Me by Danielle Wirsansky
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    Wirsansky takes an intimate moment in history and explores the human struggle within in, using Ernest Hemingway as a vessel for the audience. It's an effective piece that draws clear parallels between the treatment of refugees then and now.

    Wirsansky takes an intimate moment in history and explores the human struggle within in, using Ernest Hemingway as a vessel for the audience. It's an effective piece that draws clear parallels between the treatment of refugees then and now.

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  • James Kelsey Nelson: where are the angels in america? by Ian Donley
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    A play about the difficulty of being an educator in a culture antagonistic to critical thinking. It's painful and familiar, and feels especially prescient in the current regressive political climate. Donley's dialogue is warm and natural, and he gives even his most unlikeable characters depth and believability.

    A play about the difficulty of being an educator in a culture antagonistic to critical thinking. It's painful and familiar, and feels especially prescient in the current regressive political climate. Donley's dialogue is warm and natural, and he gives even his most unlikeable characters depth and believability.

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  • James Kelsey Nelson: Glacier Striders by Kyle Walker
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    Survival horror is difficult to pull off in theatre, and Walker aces it in this short play. The intensity of the environment and situation creates sky-high stakes from the beginning, and a growing supernatural presence escalates the dread throughout. Exciting, scary, and thrilling.

    Survival horror is difficult to pull off in theatre, and Walker aces it in this short play. The intensity of the environment and situation creates sky-high stakes from the beginning, and a growing supernatural presence escalates the dread throughout. Exciting, scary, and thrilling.

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  • James Kelsey Nelson: The Blue One by James Perry
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    An interchange between two characters over a very familiar struggle to comprehend and appreciate modern art - the two perspectives seem to contrast starkly, but neither character is in the wrong, as beauty is in the eye of the beholder...isn't it?

    An interchange between two characters over a very familiar struggle to comprehend and appreciate modern art - the two perspectives seem to contrast starkly, but neither character is in the wrong, as beauty is in the eye of the beholder...isn't it?

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  • James Kelsey Nelson: THE CORNER BAR - A ten minute play by Julie Brandon
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    Fun and creepy piece set at closing time in a bar. A mysterious stranger reveals themself to be Death, and causes a creeping fear to consume the other characters, but we don't find out until the end who they've come for. Lively, fast-paced, and easy to stage.

    Fun and creepy piece set at closing time in a bar. A mysterious stranger reveals themself to be Death, and causes a creeping fear to consume the other characters, but we don't find out until the end who they've come for. Lively, fast-paced, and easy to stage.

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