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Matthew Weaver

Recommended by Matthew Weaver

  • Recess by Kara Emily Krantz
    7 Nov. 2018
    “ Lovely, just lovely. Krantz explores SO MUCH in just 10 minutes here, and yet the play takes its time, moves at its own pace, hovers between innocence and wisdom so well that it's hard to tell which is which. Tear-inducing. I've seen other takes on children playing at being grownups; Krantz teaches a master class in it. A grand addition to any festival or, better still, evening of Krantz plays. ”
  • 153 by Steven G. Martin
    7 Nov. 2018
    “ Martin is SO GOOD in everything he offers, but 153 is particularly special because of how much he shares with we the audience. Theater is supposed to be intimate and deeply personal, and we are truly gifted with a warts and all self-examination. Better yet, it's a fascinating exploration to which any audience member can relate: Who are we now? Who were we? Who will we become? Martin gives those intense moments of grief and self doubt equal time with moments of light and hopefulness, and the world is better for it. ”
  • The Interior by Scott Sickles
    5 Nov. 2018
    “ Sickles holds Skylar Chapin's experience aloft for we the audience to examine, forcing us to ask ourselves: Were we in this situation, would we fare much better? A fabulously ingenious premise - think a darker, more wicked version of that classic YA novel HATCHET, by Gary Paulsen, in miniature. The entire monologue feels like a classic, good Stephen King tale, but with Sickles' own signature wit and style. Instantly feels like a classic. I fully anticipate this will wind up being performed at a TON of festivals, and deservedly so. It's creepycool in all the best ways. ”
  • Before You Get Married by Franky D. Gonzalez
    5 Nov. 2018
    “ Gonzalez's characters spend the play talking about all the things we're not supposed to talk about, and it's thrilling, forbidden, and just a little bit steamy. Actually, a lot steamy. The desires between David and Maria leap off the page. Give this to your performers who embrace subtext with gusto. This is the sort of play where an audience can just sit back and enjoy the ride a gifted storyteller takes them on. Intelligent and adult in all the best ways. Simple staging, and yet I bet it'll be the play the audience can't stop thinking about after it's over. ”
  • The Carpenter, the Flood, and the Fart (adapted from Chaucer's Miller's Tale) by Larry Rinkel
    30 Oct. 2018
    “ Secret confession: Chaucer's CANTERBURY TALES was perhaps my favorite required reading in high school: Finally, a classic with sex in orange trees and fart humor! Rinkel does Chaucer proud with this updated, verse version of the Miller's Tale, every bit as fun and steamy and bawdy as the source material, told with a sly bent towards modern audiences. In the end (get it? get it?) Rinkel tells us to forget the moral and just have fun. After CANTERBURY, have your students read/perform this witty update, and discover the seriously great literature that their teachers have been hiding from them. ”
  • CRABS(DOT)COM by Rachael Carnes
    30 Oct. 2018
    “ "You're late on the rent but you bought pubic lice." OMG, Carnes has written a hilarious tale of a woman scorned and ITCHING to make her ex suffer, and the poor friend tasked to help her see reason. (Lotsa luck, Marty!) A hostage negotiation like the world has never seen before, and yet didn't know it needed until right this very second. Genuinely hysterical, and hilariously shocking in quite a comfortable way ... quite an accomplishment. Marty may not understand Cheryl's wicked intentions, but the rest of the audience will be fully on board. Plan to pause for laughter. ”
  • THE REAL HERO by Nelson Diaz-Marcano
    29 Oct. 2018
    “ If you're seeking respite from the cacophony of voices in society today who seem relentlessly intent on sharing their opinion NO MATTER WHAT, Diaz-Marcano is with you, and provides the oasis, however brief. Better still, he lets Mansplainer and White Savior's voices be lowered to a hum - is there a button where we can do that? - to elevate the sounds of Yari and Chichi's confusion, fear and finally, relief. A grand addition to any short play festival, but don't be surprised when your audience asks if you can just play it on repeat until better days are ahead. ”
  • Ta-Da or Toodle-Oo by Emily Hageman
    28 Oct. 2018
    “ Had the pleasure of watching this at Playwrights Playground in Spokane, WA. Hageman here taps into a little-explored relationship, and the results are just as delightfully adorable as all the ingredients would suggest. Mr. W's demands are a scream, and in between the laughs, Hageman never loses sight of the hidden need to be respected, to be wanted, on both sides of the equation, while keeping the audience thoroughly entertained. Certain to be a crowd-pleaser at any festival, and a great opportunity for two talented performers to really shine. The high quality of comedy and heart any Hageman script offers. ”
  • 80 Cards by Jeremy Kareken
    19 Oct. 2018
    “ This play. This is the sort of play you want to read and then grab someone, anyone really, but particularly someone who has a connection to a theater and say, "You've gotta read this!" And then sit there and watch them as they read it, so the two of you can share in the experience together. And eventually you get it produced, so it can go out into the world. This play. Simple and brilliant, so simple and brilliant it makes me furious that I didn't think of it first. This is me, grabbing you: You've gotta read this! ”
  • Forgive Me Cosmo, For I Have Sinned by Ruben Carbajal
    19 Oct. 2018
    “ I LOVE this idea -- the use of cover copy entirely from back covers of Cosmopolitan Magazine. Another instance of a good playwright damning a target with their own words, holding them up to the light and making us think about our priorities and what's really important. Particularly chilling is the countdown of ways Cosmo uses numbers, from the No. 1 Sex Wish to 10 Times It's OK to Be a Bitch. Super creative and super clever. Definitely put Carbajal on your radar; I look forward to reading the rest of this talented writer's works on NPX! ”

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