This annual festival of new American short plays returns to 59E59 for its 11th consecutive year. More…
The festival's two series consist of three plays each. See the lineup for Series B.
'Playing God' by Alan Zweibel, directed by Maria Mileaf: Unhappy that a brazen doctor fudged the due date of a pregnant woman's baby because of his vacation, God decides to put him in his place.
'Jack' by Melissa Ross, directed by Mimi O'Donnell: Maggie and George and Jack have been inseparable best friends since college. But when Maggie and George divorce, Jack is the only thing holding them together. Until suddenly he isn't. A play about growing up, growing apart, and letting go of your first love.
'Acolyte' by Graham Moore, directed by Alexander Dinelaris: Young marrieds and Ayn Rand devotees find themselves in over their heads when one of her weekly Saturday night discourses on philosophy takes a surprisingly personal turn.
See it if you like to see new works, especially short plays that create an entire world in a very short time. 2 of the 3 plays were wonderful.
Don't see it if you aren't willing to suffer through a dud play (the last piece was a bore) in order to see 2 gems. Loved the first 2.
See it if you’ll sit through two tedious shorts in order to get to a third, really well crafted one in which Ayn Rand spars w/ intellectual inferiors
Don't see it if you won't google Rand before the show. First 2 shorts are negligible so if the subject of the 3rd doesn’t interest, don't go
Also Surprised it's a NYT critic’s pick. Only 1 of 3 shorts in Series A is ... Read more Read less
See it if You like small "in-the-works" theatre. "Jack" was the most decent of the 3. "Playing God" was funny, but, could be tweaked... The 3rd felt
Don't see it if Dated and pretentious... Overall, decent work, but, the 90-min felt dragged... I'll be seeing "Series B" next week.. We'll see how that goes
See it if you like plays that personify God; you want to see the top notch Yale Sch of Drama MFA '17 grad Bronte England-Nelson in a meaty role.
Don't see it if you don't enjoy short plays; you don't want to see 3 plays that aren't connected
See it if You enjoy seeing new work, short play format and excellent acting. All three plays were interesting, original and wonderfully performed.
Don't see it if You don't like dramatic or off Broadway theatre.
See it if You like small theater environment with 3 short, but absorbing plays. An inexpensive evening of really good theather.
Don't see it if you want the pomp and circumstance of a big production.
See it if you enjoy one-act plays with widely divergent topics, from serious to humorous; each is unique and has its own merits/faults.
Don't see it if you dislike short plays without a central theme; you are a dog lover who cries easily; you are a staunch Catholic; you avoid philosophy.
See it if You have an evening to kill. It is summer, and you want diversion, but don't require meaty powerful unforgettable theater.
Don't see it if You expect to spend dinner afterwards ruminating over what you just saw.
Also They didn't even bother to list the actors in these shows, just the pr... Read more Read less
See it if your prerequisites are early start, early exit, no intermission, and a little variety. Graham Moore's "Acolyte" will make you glad you went.
Don't see it if you'd like your evening of one-acts to have a thematic through line and be made of short plays more than skits or mini-sitcoms.