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Matthew Weaver

Recommended by Matthew Weaver

  • The Miracle of Long Johns by David Lefkowitz
    5 May. 2021
    “ Lefkowitz has a unique, winning voice that will draw in any audience. Here, he gamely volunteers to share one of the most uncomfortable and, perhaps, relatable, theatrical experiences that could happen to anybody. Along the way, he paints a full, vivid portrait of himself that is at once welcoming, engrossing and worthy of further adventures/misadventures.
    Here's to hoping Lefkowitz pieces together a series of his adventures as a critic; I think we the audience deserve this to be merely the first stop of an epic quest for a modern-day Odysseus, trying to make his way home, underwear intact. ”
  • What Happens When You Research Practically Anything In This Country by Greg Lam
    18 Mar. 2021
    “ Lam speaks for so many so well, with such precise words.
    Right after reading this one-minute play, I came across a thread on Twitter where someone asks if anything in America WASN'T used as a tool for white supremacy, and suggests Super Soakers. The immediate reply:
    "Lonnie Johnson, the African American NASA engineer who invented Super Soakers and Nerf Guns, discovered that Hasbro cheated him out of millions in royalty payments by producing toys that were basically identical but claimed they were unlike Johnson's invention. So, no."
    Lam speaks for so many, so well. Produce this play, please. Please. ”
  • How to Talk to Your Child About BDSM by Daniel Prillaman
    26 Feb. 2021
    “ This is ... SO COOL!
    It's refreshing. It's honest. It's unflinching. It's hysterical (no surprise to anyone familiar with Prillaman's work). It's unashamed. And necessary.
    Alas, only the bravest theatres will likely consider this short, because the ones that won't are likely the ones where it would do the most good. I would like to be proven wrong.
    This would also be a good contribution in sex ed discussions or classroom discussions. (Someone should be putting together a festival of plays like this!!!!)
    If Prillaman wasn't already on your radar, this is an excellent introduction to his work. Bravo, Daniel. ”
  • Rated R - a monologue about sex and violence by Ryan M. Bultrowicz
    3 Feb. 2021
    “ A very moving and honest work, about a loss of innocence, or more a revelation of what innocence is and what knowledge is, and a new understanding that there is a difference. Bultrowicz shares a timeless tale. We don't know the movie Andrew sees, we don't need to know, it is every R-rated movie, it's the one you dreamed of seeing that can never live up to your expectation and hope; it's the one that was put on this earth for you and you alone to watch. Bultrowicz has written a lovely homage to movies and to growing up. ”
  • It's Confusing, These Days (an election week companion) by Hayley St. James
    18 Jan. 2021
    “ A necessary and FLAWLESS continuation of St. James' A GODAWFUL SMALL AFFAIR. They strike every right note here, the inherent conflict when the people you most disagree with are the ones who birthed and raised you, and what happens when those differences of opinion threaten the love you've found?
    At the same time, St. James captures the uncertainty and the dawning feeling of ... could it actually be ... hope?
    I LOVED the question Luca asks the Nurse, and the Nurse's reply.
    St. James gifts their characters a tiny victory, which feels all the more monumental because it's so earned. ”
  • The Ashen Crown by Daniel Prillaman
    16 Jan. 2021
    “ Shakespeare nor George R.R. Martin nor Stephen King could not have penned a better tale! Full of strong women and political intrigue, Prillaman offers a complex and compelling fantasy that captures the reader/viewer. It's smart, it's sharp, it's FUNNY, it's unnerving, it's mysterious and intriguing.
    If this is (as it was mine) your first true exposure to Prillaman's writing, he is a VERY GOOD storyteller, evoking whole histories and secrets, moving his characters and revealing truths to maximum effect. This is for artists who know how to elevate a script by letting it work its own peculiar magic. ”
  • A Report On Ancient Egypt (a one minute play) by Mark Harvey Levine
    8 Jan. 2021
    “ This one never fails to make me cry. It's about ancient Egypt, but it's also not. It's really, really not.
    I had the pleasure of watching this as part of Gi60's annual one-minute play festival.
    A REPORT ON ANCIENT EGYPT is a brief but sterling example of why Mark Harvey Levine's work is so widely, and deservingly, lauded. It's nimble, it's heartfelt, it has a secret, delightfully wicked streak.
    When putting together a festival devoted to 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic or just a festival of really good plays, this is one that better be sitting high atop your list. ”
  • I Don't Want To End Up As A Douchebag Character In One Of Your Plays: A Play by Kate McMorran
    3 Jan. 2021
    “ Too late!
    McMorran's play is deservedly getting kudos for the way she says so very much in so very little words.
    But, it's also particularly noteworthy in the way that, in a very brief amount of time, tests the confines and the boundaries of both page and stage, blurring the lines between production and audience.
    Rarely does a playwright embrace the "play" part of playwriting so enthusiastically and mercilessly. ”
  • The Mischief Maker by Ruth Apolonia Zamoyta
    2 Jan. 2021
    “ Zamoyta's play ambles like a real conversation between teenage girls would, as Marilee and Jo talk about questionable men, McDonald's, the Catholic nuns who are their teachers, the Bible and Stephen King. It's messy, gritty, dark and exceptional for how real it is. Would love to see this performed - select it for your festival to give two younger performers the chance to make their theatrical name. A stellar work, reminiscent of Annie Baker or Justice Hehir. Produce it produce it produce it! ”
  • Winter on the Cusp of Sagittarius by Scott Sickles
    1 Jan. 2021
    “ Ooh, this is interesting and fascinating and .. I could see a lot of theatre students devoting whole papers to this one-act!
    There are playwrights who tiptoe around hot-button topics and then there is Sickles, who embraces hot-button topics with gusto, brings them inside and serves them hot soup. WINTER ON THE CUSP OF SAGITTARIUS offers no easy answers to its audience, although its characters seem on the ... verge of finding one for themselves. Your mileage may vary on how inclined you are to agree with them.
    Bold storytelling from a bold playwright, who exemplifies making the riskiest choice. ”

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