Recommended by Dan West

  •

    Trial by a jury of your peers is a core tenant of the American justice system. But what if those peers are more interested in getting home it time for dinner than seeing to it that justice is done. In Philip Middleton Williams' insightful two-hander, two potential jurors with a shared connection meet on a bench outside a courtroom. As they wait to be called, they discuss the fairness both inherent and lacking in the system. Thoughtful and entertaining - this one-act play definitely made me pause to consider my take on the subject.

    Trial by a jury of your peers is a core tenant of the American justice system. But what if those peers are more interested in getting home it time for dinner than seeing to it that justice is done. In Philip Middleton Williams' insightful two-hander, two potential jurors with a shared connection meet on a bench outside a courtroom. As they wait to be called, they discuss the fairness both inherent and lacking in the system. Thoughtful and entertaining - this one-act play definitely made me pause to consider my take on the subject.

  •

    This short, hot-button monologue combines "ripped-from-the-headlines" urgency with a genuine and empathetic affinity to produce a powerful and evenhanded commentary on race and violence. Viewers may leave with differing opinions on what they've just seen (perhaps heatedly so), but they certainly will not leave unmoved.

    This short, hot-button monologue combines "ripped-from-the-headlines" urgency with a genuine and empathetic affinity to produce a powerful and evenhanded commentary on race and violence. Viewers may leave with differing opinions on what they've just seen (perhaps heatedly so), but they certainly will not leave unmoved.

  •

    There is something troubling when a figure of such civic stature as a judge begins to abuse their power; especially if you live in their household and are the object of their abusive attentions. This is exactly the trap that our lead character finds herself ensnared it at the top of Ryan Kaminski’s “The Gift”. Until a mysterious box arrives. But does it contain her salvation or will it deliver even further depths of doom. A gripping short horror thriller about the choices we make when there are no good choices.

    There is something troubling when a figure of such civic stature as a judge begins to abuse their power; especially if you live in their household and are the object of their abusive attentions. This is exactly the trap that our lead character finds herself ensnared it at the top of Ryan Kaminski’s “The Gift”. Until a mysterious box arrives. But does it contain her salvation or will it deliver even further depths of doom. A gripping short horror thriller about the choices we make when there are no good choices.

  •

    When the end of the world comes how do you want to face your doom? Doom scrolling, perhaps? As the elderly couple and their younger care-provider ride our their remaining time after a global nuclear attack in the basement of their home; they/we are are left to ponder not only our own mortality, but also the mortality of the planet and the mark we may or may not have left upon it. Alternatingly and sweet, the end of this darkly comedic play seems a fitting eulogy to a world we all to often appear close to becoming.

    When the end of the world comes how do you want to face your doom? Doom scrolling, perhaps? As the elderly couple and their younger care-provider ride our their remaining time after a global nuclear attack in the basement of their home; they/we are are left to ponder not only our own mortality, but also the mortality of the planet and the mark we may or may not have left upon it. Alternatingly and sweet, the end of this darkly comedic play seems a fitting eulogy to a world we all to often appear close to becoming.

  •

    A Vietnam vet, fresh from war, arrives at the VA in his wheelchair for his benefits evaluation only to be met by a governmental apparatchik straight out of Joseph Heller’s Catch-22. As the two of them face off over a glass of hallucinogenic laced soda, it soon becomes apparent that the person who thinks they are steering the interview may be (and perhaps never was). A clever and insight two-hander comedy about power dynamics and the illusion of control.

    A Vietnam vet, fresh from war, arrives at the VA in his wheelchair for his benefits evaluation only to be met by a governmental apparatchik straight out of Joseph Heller’s Catch-22. As the two of them face off over a glass of hallucinogenic laced soda, it soon becomes apparent that the person who thinks they are steering the interview may be (and perhaps never was). A clever and insight two-hander comedy about power dynamics and the illusion of control.

  • Dan West: “people” by S.P. Daley
    “

    This violent and challenging immersive play is certainly not for everyone; but, for a daring theatre looking to make a bold statement about war, brutality, and the human condition, here is a show that is certain to leave its audience talking for days, if not weeks. In a world where brutality is often lionized and it is hard to tell the heroes from the villains from the victims, no one is safe. This piece pulls no punches, and we are better for it.

    This violent and challenging immersive play is certainly not for everyone; but, for a daring theatre looking to make a bold statement about war, brutality, and the human condition, here is a show that is certain to leave its audience talking for days, if not weeks. In a world where brutality is often lionized and it is hard to tell the heroes from the villains from the victims, no one is safe. This piece pulls no punches, and we are better for it.

    ”
  • Dan West: The Hideout by Mathew Green
    “

    Is there anything more entertaining than stupid criminals? Perhaps haunted house, you say? Well, in Mathew Green's short comedic hair-raiser "The Hideout", you get both of these for the price of one. And the investment certainly delivers when the story arrives at its payoff - an ending that I found genuinely chilling.

    Is there anything more entertaining than stupid criminals? Perhaps haunted house, you say? Well, in Mathew Green's short comedic hair-raiser "The Hideout", you get both of these for the price of one. And the investment certainly delivers when the story arrives at its payoff - an ending that I found genuinely chilling.

    ”
  • Dan West: AWESOME LIKE CRINKLE CUT FRIES: A DIVINE COMEDY by Steven G. Martin
    “

    When one approaches retirement it is quite natural to be struck by a sense of nostalgia, to think of your legacy and what you leave behind. Will your remembrances be fond ones, or will they be tinged with regrets. In this virtuoso comedic two-hander Steven G Martin imagines a God ready to walk away from His creation and explore new avenues of experience. One must only hope that he leaves his watch in the hands of one of his better angels.

    When one approaches retirement it is quite natural to be struck by a sense of nostalgia, to think of your legacy and what you leave behind. Will your remembrances be fond ones, or will they be tinged with regrets. In this virtuoso comedic two-hander Steven G Martin imagines a God ready to walk away from His creation and explore new avenues of experience. One must only hope that he leaves his watch in the hands of one of his better angels.

    ”
  • Dan West: Seventh Inning Stretch (Ten Minute) by Paul Donnelly
    “

    Once upon a time, it was possible to embarrass yourself in public without the entire world taking notice. For poor Max, whose failed 7th Inning Stretch marriage proposal has gone viral, that time is long past and it is up to his sister Brenda and best friend Stuart to coax him out of his self-imposed humiliation exile and rejoin the world. Paul Donnelly has crafted a sharply funny and relatable short play about what happens when things spin beyond the point of damage control and your only recovery option is to pick yourself up and face the music.

    Once upon a time, it was possible to embarrass yourself in public without the entire world taking notice. For poor Max, whose failed 7th Inning Stretch marriage proposal has gone viral, that time is long past and it is up to his sister Brenda and best friend Stuart to coax him out of his self-imposed humiliation exile and rejoin the world. Paul Donnelly has crafted a sharply funny and relatable short play about what happens when things spin beyond the point of damage control and your only recovery option is to pick yourself up and face the music.

    ”
  • Dan West: The Curse by Lisa Dellagiarino Feriend
    “

    A literal fish out of water tale in which a merman named Jeremy is left high and dry on the beach after being cursed by an angry enchantress, and it is left to human Beth to help him get his fin back (whether the mansplaining twit deserves it or not). The awkward dynamic between the mismatched pair drives the comedic action in this pithy and hilarious short two-hander. It may not be fun discovering that the legends of your childhood are jerks, but it sure is funny to watch.

    A literal fish out of water tale in which a merman named Jeremy is left high and dry on the beach after being cursed by an angry enchantress, and it is left to human Beth to help him get his fin back (whether the mansplaining twit deserves it or not). The awkward dynamic between the mismatched pair drives the comedic action in this pithy and hilarious short two-hander. It may not be fun discovering that the legends of your childhood are jerks, but it sure is funny to watch.

    ”