Recommended by Audrey Cefaly

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    Michael McKeever has a rare gift for finding the human being beneath the debate. Daniel's Husband begins as an argument about marriage equality but evolves into something far more profound: a meditation on love, commitment, and the unbearable cost of discovering too late what truly matters. Beautifully constructed and emotionally shattering.

    Michael McKeever has a rare gift for finding the human being beneath the debate. Daniel's Husband begins as an argument about marriage equality but evolves into something far more profound: a meditation on love, commitment, and the unbearable cost of discovering too late what truly matters. Beautifully constructed and emotionally shattering.

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    As someone who has spent a lifetime writing and chasing the perfect two-hander, I'm always excited to encounter a play that expands the form. Stephen Spotswood's The Last Great Escape Artist is exactly that: funny, tender, and deceptively intricate. With just two richly drawn characters, it explores isolation, mentorship, and the locks we place on ourselves, proving how expansive—and magical—a two-person play can be.

    As someone who has spent a lifetime writing and chasing the perfect two-hander, I'm always excited to encounter a play that expands the form. Stephen Spotswood's The Last Great Escape Artist is exactly that: funny, tender, and deceptively intricate. With just two richly drawn characters, it explores isolation, mentorship, and the locks we place on ourselves, proving how expansive—and magical—a two-person play can be.

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    Jones uses the vignette structure to great effect, with each scene introducing memorable characters who are hopeful, awkward, guarded, funny, or deeply vulnerable. The format gives actors a chance to showcase remarkable range, transforming across generations and personalities, while offering directors unusual flexibility. The result is both a celebration of theatrical versatility and a heartfelt exploration of human connection.

    Jones uses the vignette structure to great effect, with each scene introducing memorable characters who are hopeful, awkward, guarded, funny, or deeply vulnerable. The format gives actors a chance to showcase remarkable range, transforming across generations and personalities, while offering directors unusual flexibility. The result is both a celebration of theatrical versatility and a heartfelt exploration of human connection.

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    What makes Alabama Story feel especially resonant today is that it never insists history is finished. Although firmly rooted in 1959 Montgomery, its questions about censorship, political pressure, public institutions, and the stories we allow children to encounter remain strikingly contemporary. The play trusts audiences to recognize those echoes without ever turning into a lecture.

    What makes Alabama Story feel especially resonant today is that it never insists history is finished. Although firmly rooted in 1959 Montgomery, its questions about censorship, political pressure, public institutions, and the stories we allow children to encounter remain strikingly contemporary. The play trusts audiences to recognize those echoes without ever turning into a lecture.

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    A sex farce for the emotionally constipated. Pfeffinger writes the kind of scenes actors want to do: punchy, ping-pong dialogue with just enough heart to crack you open when you’re not looking. Strap in (or on)—it gets wonderfully unhinged.

    A sex farce for the emotionally constipated. Pfeffinger writes the kind of scenes actors want to do: punchy, ping-pong dialogue with just enough heart to crack you open when you’re not looking. Strap in (or on)—it gets wonderfully unhinged.

  • Audrey Cefaly: THE LAZARUS CLUB by Donna Hoke
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    The Lazarus Club gathers the recently returned in a surreal corner of the world—somewhere between Tim Hortons and limbo. The play floats through time and space, toggling between quiet confessions and collective myth-making. A flexible, fluid ensemble piece that centers trust, belief, and the patchwork of meaning we cling to when the miracle is over and the paperwork begins.

    The Lazarus Club gathers the recently returned in a surreal corner of the world—somewhere between Tim Hortons and limbo. The play floats through time and space, toggling between quiet confessions and collective myth-making. A flexible, fluid ensemble piece that centers trust, belief, and the patchwork of meaning we cling to when the miracle is over and the paperwork begins.

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  • Audrey Cefaly: A THING OF BEAUTY by D.W. Gregory
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    I was lucky enough to see this play at Appalachian Festival of Plays and Playwrights in 2023. It was the hit of the festival. No one does comedy like DW. Dry, concise, biting humor, incisive commentary, and a wonderful gem of a play that resonates so fully in this moment. It's the perfect evening of theater.

    I was lucky enough to see this play at Appalachian Festival of Plays and Playwrights in 2023. It was the hit of the festival. No one does comedy like DW. Dry, concise, biting humor, incisive commentary, and a wonderful gem of a play that resonates so fully in this moment. It's the perfect evening of theater.

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  • Audrey Cefaly: Mountain Mamas by Daryl Lisa Fazio
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    Saw a reading of this piece at Florida Rep PlayLab. Tightly-drawn character study. Bold and self-assured, Fazio knows about the power of distillation.

    Saw a reading of this piece at Florida Rep PlayLab. Tightly-drawn character study. Bold and self-assured, Fazio knows about the power of distillation.

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  • Audrey Cefaly: MEMOIRS OF A FORGOTTEN MAN by D.W. Gregory
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    I was really blown away by this piece when I saw it at CATF over the summer. A gorgeous, powerful play. Detailed and intricately woven. Humorous, hypnotic and lyrical. I'm a huge fan of DW's attention to character. They always draw me in, and this play was no exception. Amazing work by a writer for our time.

    I was really blown away by this piece when I saw it at CATF over the summer. A gorgeous, powerful play. Detailed and intricately woven. Humorous, hypnotic and lyrical. I'm a huge fan of DW's attention to character. They always draw me in, and this play was no exception. Amazing work by a writer for our time.

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  • Audrey Cefaly: The Arsonists by Jacqueline Goldfinger
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    A feast for the senses. Souful. Elegaic. Intensely poetic, textural storytelling. Goldfinger spins haunting tales of the south like no one else.

    A feast for the senses. Souful. Elegaic. Intensely poetic, textural storytelling. Goldfinger spins haunting tales of the south like no one else.

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