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Matthew Weaver

Recommended by Matthew Weaver

  • freeplay by Justice Hehir
    4 Jun. 2019
    “ If you're not in love with this play by the time Emma the intern gives a Facetime tour of the office to her parents late at night, there's probably something wrong with you. Hehir explores the mundane everyday-ness of working at a sex toy company. Some audience members may cringe at the setting, but Hehir totally embraces the cringe and runs with it and it's RIVETING and hilarious and heartfelt and heartbreaking and wonderful and beautiful and REAL. Just a lovely play from beginning to end, with so many quiet, awkward, lovely moments along the way. ”
  • SPENCER: A KID MONOLOGUE by Asher Wyndham
    3 Jun. 2019
    “ How much Internet and social media do our kids get exposed to? What happens when parents live by the rule, "Do as I say, not as I do?" Wyndham - so adept at handling highly pointed, emotional work grounded in reality - here offers a lighter touch that still has layers of complexity and barbed commentary. Plus, Spencer can crow victory over the parentals.
    Every Wyndham monologue is a sight to behold, and future generations of performers will point to his beautiful words as the moment that they discovered just what the theatre, and they themselves, are capable of becoming. ”
  • Companion by Mackenzie Raine Kirkman
    1 Jun. 2019
    “ Just a lovely piece of writing. Quiet and yet it contains so much of the entire world today. In her NPX debut, Kirkman shows us two individuals questioning their place, their role, and then she does the infinitely greater trick of not answering those questions, but
    instead
    she lets them land
    upon the stage
    and in our hearts
    Added bonus: It's funny!!!
    A very heartfelt, very humanist work, exquisitely rendered.
    More, please. ”
  • Out by Jennifer O'Grady
    21 May. 2019
    “ I don't think there's a pet owner on the planet who would read O'Grady's fine OUT and not nod in agreement. O'Grady has a gift for looking at things from an animal's perspective - to moving effect in her monologues and to hilarious effect here. This is warm, gentle, noble and knowing. Also, it's an excellent exercise in minimalism. Any O'Grady addition to your festival or season would be a worthy one, and OUT is a perfectly wrapped treat. ”
  • I Want a Unicorn Frappe!!! by Catherine Weingarten
    14 May. 2019
    “ FULL DISCLOSURE: I did have a Unicorn Frappucino when they came out, and I enjoyed it. Weingarten harnesses the limited edition drink for her own unique, hysterical, satirical purposes, with her signature style and voice. It's so funny and pointed, with a jagged dagger for an edge. ”
  • The Place That Made You by Darcy Parker Bruce
    13 May. 2019
    “ Bruce's words flow like poetry as their characters struggle with old heartaches and grief and loss. Everything is complicated and sad and weighed down by the past. The dialogue and stage directions are equally rich and vibrant, building towards an ending that's 100 times more complicated than it is happy, but still has a streak of happiness in the midst of so much world weariness. This play is so timely and relevant and lovely and warm and hard and soft and open and real. Make space for this PLACE in your theater, hug it and invite it to come stay. ”
  • Powers by Will Gilman
    10 May. 2019
    “ I had the pleasure of watching this be performed at Stage Left Theatre in Spokane, WA in March 2015 as part of the LeftOvers 24-hour play festival. Gilman proves just as talented at making an audience laugh as he does at breaking their hearts. You might think you know where POWERS is going, but he zigs and zags in a delightful sendup of some familiar, commonly told tales, coming to the best, most natural conclusions. All the while, he never loses sight of their underlying humanity. This one, too, is sure to be a crowd-pleaser. Fun the whole way down. ”
  • Always by Will Gilman
    10 May. 2019
    “ Gilman breaks your heart, and then he REALLY breaks your heart, all the while breaking your heart. Along the way, he shows us how David and Sam come together, and how they say goodbye, and how David is left to pick up the pieces. Gilman is quite adept at portraying not-quite-broken souls finding one another, and getting us to fall in love with them as a couple. It is a rare and underrated talent. This is a fine, shining example of a playwright laying his heart bare on the page for performers to bring to life on the stage. ”
  • Clean Out of Reach by Will Gilman
    10 May. 2019
    “ Two lonely hearts come together at what feels like the end of the world, and then it ... doesn't? Which means now they have to answer the questions all couples face: What now? Gilman gives us two souls who have been batted around by life, and we SEE them struggle. Better still, he shows us how they find a quiet moment of inner strength to speak up for themselves and for what they've forged together. This would be a tender addition to any play festival, a quiet underdog that would run away with the hearts of everyone in the audience. ”
  • BEST LAID PLAN(t)S by Donna Hoke
    10 May. 2019
    “ If our plants could talk - what would they say about us? Hoke has always proven adept at handling heavy subject matter with ease- abusive relationships, how we talk to our friends and relatives about those relationships, proper plant maintenance - and here she does it in fresh and invigorating ways. As always with a Donna Hoke play, there are layers upon layers beneath the characters' actions. The occasional commentary from Xyler and Stamenis is delightful and unexpected. "Maybe the plant screams silently" made me laugh out loud during a tense moment. Expect to see this get many, many productions. ”

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