Recommended by Matthew Weaver

  • Modern Miracle
    28 Apr. 2017
    A hilarious, modern-day spin on Jesus feeding the crowd with loaves and fishes. But is the fish freshly-caught or store-bought? Are the loaves gluten-free? And what wine do you serve? Such a great idea, crafted exceedingly well. So good, I'm mad I didn't think of it!
  • The Diplomats
    25 Apr. 2017
    Real people, real friends, really hanging out. The discussion gets real, then it gets REALLY real. A very timely play that will spark very timely discussions. Strong characters who share a history and bring their own, complicated perspectives. Diaz-Marcano ably, intimately captures three people coming back together to try and figure out how to move forward.
  • Silueta by Diana Burbano, Tom Shelton and Chris Shelton
    22 Apr. 2017
    I was not familiar with Ana Mendieta or Carl Andre before reading this, but the talented writers had me all caught up in a matter of moments. A particular hat tip for the line "What were you thinking when I defenestrated?" and for daring to ask and answer the question. Burbano has a knack for taking well-known, mysterious true-life figures and capturing/infusing them with universal truth. The writers here take a holistic, compassionate look at both characters, glorious warts and all. "Silueta" is a passionate, violent, tragic love story beautifully told.
  • I Hate This (a play without the baby)
    11 Apr. 2017
    Gut-wrenching, heartbreaking and well-told. Hansen shines a light on one of the worst experiences a family can endure, and lays it all on the line. He puts his feelings entirely on the stage, a pure act of intimacy. Very hard to read or watch, I imagine, but that's nothing compared to what it must have been to live and to write. A story that's important to tell, to show others they're not alone. A hug to Hansen, because the words don't exist to console. Raw, unflinching and real.
  • (ONE-ACT COMEDY ABOUT RELATIONSHIPS:) I, Cockroach
    24 Mar. 2017
    Amazing and funny and wonderful and heartfelt all at the same time. Will change the way you look at and think about cockroaches, and even have you rooting for them romantically over creepy jerk husbands. As I read this, my jaw dropped open with delight and never closed. So good, it made me envious that I didn't write it. Certain to be a crowd pleaser.
  • THE PLATYPODES
    9 Mar. 2017
    Heartwrenching, full of complications and ultra topical. Tackles controversy head-on, never flinches, even if the characters do. Characters are well-drawn, multi-dimensional, and Wyndham allows them to not be sympathetic. Added bonus: We get Vito's presentation on platypuses. Daring, daring play. Cannot use the term 'thought-provoking' enough.
  • FATIMA & MAAMA: A Ten-Minute TFY Play
    28 Feb. 2017
    Lovely. Mothers and daughters around the globe will recognize themselves in this touching, heartwrenching short. Fatima bursts with vibrance and youth, and Maama has her back as only a mother can. It's a snapshot of a family, with its hardships and heartaches, but one gets the sense that these women will not only persist, but thrive together. Even as they drive one another up a wall. Should be performed everywhere.
  • Babies
    24 Feb. 2017
    Fierce. Strong. I can't pretend to know anything about this perspective or speak for it. But I know we all need to hear it. See it. Read it. Again and again. Much power in a single page. Raw. Straight from the heart, straight to the heart. Put it on, over and over and over, on continuous repeat.
  • THE COUPLE NEXT DOOR
    20 Feb. 2017
    An interesting look at two marriages, and what happens when they mix and mingle. Who is more compatible: The couple that argues a lot, or the one that regularly swings together? The one where the wife plucks the husband's ear hair (one of my favorite scenes) or the one where the husband is suddenly drawn to the new neighbor? Hoke peppers a sexy situation with the intimacy of reality, and examines the intricacies of relationships. An underlying current of female strength runs through, as the husbands come to grips with all their fantasies really have to offer.
  • The Tower (5 minute)
    18 Feb. 2017
    Burbano staggers in just five minutes with this very interesting imagining of life in an all-too-familiar tower with a notorious figure. (Not necessarily the one you're thinking of.) Timely and provocative, with sympathy for all, even for the central focus and her POV. Will have audiences whispering, will leave them thinking.

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