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Matthew Weaver

Recommended by Matthew Weaver

  • Subdivision by Ruben Carbajal
    10 May. 2019
    “ Just as I suspected, Carbajal's full-length plays are just as mesmerizing as his shorter works. SUBDIVISION is compelling from the get-go, as young Brian talks on a toy phone to his dead father. It's as though we are spying through a peephole at Carbajal's characters as they navigate their grief, over death and neglect, trying to make some sort of sense out of their fumbling and failing to do even that. And then Carbajal REALLY pulls the rug out from under us, only to do it again, giving everyone a new normal. Artful and masterful, Carbajal is a gifted storyteller. ”
  • Outpost by Scott Sickles
    10 May. 2019
    “ Sickles tugs at our hearts as he reflects on the nature of humankind, particularly our uncanny knack to find a gentle grace as the end draws nigh ... I concur with Monica Cross, this is a MUST! Sickles is a master at taking extreme scenarios and holding them up to show us our humanity, our quiet dignity. Dale and Sam's love story would be a most fitting end to the likes of all of us. An excellent addition to an utmost, stellar body of work. If you haven't produced or read a Scott Sickles play, here's an excellent starting point. ”
  • An Annunciation by Ellen Koivisto
    4 May. 2019
    “ A steamy treatise on old school faith and religion in the world today. Koivisto's innocent Being is back on earth with a mission, but keeps bumping up against modern times. This has a 2000 production listed in its history and is even more timely today. Would be very intrigued and interested to see it performed. Give it to your most fearless young performers, and play it for audiences that welcome/need to have their most comfortable answers questioned. A delightful fable with a contemporary bent. ”
  • THAT PLAY ABOUT THE GURGLING MUD PIT (ten-minute play) by Dwayne Yancey
    3 May. 2019
    “ "We're not sucking the audience into a gurgling mud pit." Yancey wholeheartedly embraces his meta concept and, in doing so, shines the spotlight on crucial theatrical positions in a very appealing way. It's a scream as we learn more and more about the gurgling mud pit play, and the crew reacts to each bit of new information. A very good way to inform the audience about the hidden heroes who bring shows together, and an excellent way to celebrate all that goes into a production. ”
  • Brothers Before by Tristen Canfield
    29 Apr. 2019
    “ "You think a lot of things are in that box." I had the pleasure of watching this be wonderfully produced and performed over the course of 24 hours as part of Stage Left Theatre's LeftOvers festival in Spokane, WA. Canfield plays with audience expectations over the box shared between brothers Len and David, building our anticipation and masterfully subverting them. A gifted writer, Canfield does so much in a very short amount of time - both in the time to tell the story, and the time it took her to write it. Audiences will reflect on her words long after. ”
  • Somewhere South of Bethlehem by Scott Sickles
    21 Apr. 2019
    “ Sickles puts his gifts for outrageous characters and scenarios, exposing rigidly religious hypocrites and asking the bigger questions of humanity on full display in this charming, sexy, zany one-act play. The unlikely combination platter of Aimee Semple McPherson and Lucrezia Borgia and the actual devil, Nicky, allow Sickles to write one heck of a morality play, with a Nativity play as a backdrop. I was most struck by Lucy's ad-lib (it's fitting that she be the one to ask this), "What about YOUR room, Innkeeper?" Devilishly delightful and destined to unsettle the pearlclutchers. ”
  • The Librarian by Ruben Carbajal
    5 Apr. 2019
    “ A stark, sobering picture that feels all too possible. If you haven't read a Carbajal piece yet, let this be an opening appetizer, and then your gateway into the rest of his wonderful words. ”
  • The Rules [an immersive 1-minute play] by Steven G. Martin
    3 Apr. 2019
    “ Martin immediately elevates the one-minute play by raising the stakes and plunging the audience fully into the action. Blunt in the greatest possible way, and all too true. An absolute must for any one-minute play festival. ”
  • Echoes Of Octavia by Michelle Tyrene Johnson
    31 Mar. 2019
    “ That sound you hear is cries of glee over a new Michelle Tyrene Johnson full-length going up on NPX! Here, she gives us a rich setting, with an irresistible heroine and loads of family history intruding on the present. ECHOES OF OCTAVIA is the best kind of soap opera - smart, witty, heartfelt and full of strong women and multiple generations all trying to get along under the same roof. If you ever loved RYAN'S HOPE, boy is this a play for you! It's family, it's romance, it's old hurts and new hopes seamlessly tied together, and Johnson's writing soars. ”
  • Chekov's Gun by Patrick Vermillion
    18 Mar. 2019
    “ I had the pleasure of watching this play at Stage Left Theater's Fast & Furious one-minute play festival in Spokane. This was a delightful piece, one of my favorites from the event, which reminded me of the writing of David Ives (very much a compliment in my eyes and hopefully for Mr. Vermillion, too). Exquisitely timed, and plays with a well-known writing rule while adhering to it. Smart and witty and just pure, absolute fun. If Vermillion is this good in just a moment, on one page, I can't wait to see what he does with more time! ”

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