Here’s what I read on NPX last week! Amazing pieces this week, some I still cant stop thinking about. Let me know if you check any of these out yourself!

FEBRUARY 15: Showtime Blues by France-Luce Benson
An absolutely gorgeous one act play about joy, living, breathing, and the judgments we make about each other. I love to see what happens when characters get trapped together, and what happens between Ameira and Demetrius is moving and romantic.

FEBRUARY 16: Forecon: Twenty-Seventeen by Bleu Beckford-Burrell
This play was fascinating to read after the events of this January -- Beckford-Burrell is a bit of a prophet. On top of the humor, which there is a lot of, and the surreality is a layer of reality that takes this play to the next level. I would love to see a curated play festival of responses to the 2016 and 2020 elections, with this piece as the center.

FEBRUARY 17: The Day We Sent the POTUS Into Space by Franziska Beck
I absolutely adore this one-act. Darkly funny but rimmed with pain, fear, and anger, THE DAY WE SENT THE POTUS INTO SPACE is part wish-fulfillment and part facing the brutal truth: our problems were not caused by one man, and they won't be solved by his removal to Mars. Great political commentary perfectly tailored for zoom production. A must-read and a must-produce.

FEBRUARY 18: COVID Be Damned by Melda Beaty
COVID BE DAMNED almost hurts to read. Beaty taps into the dismay, the frustration, the anger, the terror, and the heartache that has descended on us during this pandemic. These women all come from different perspectives and have unique responses to the spread of COVID. This play will read like a very honest and earnest time capsule when life returns to "normal." A perfect play to be produced now and later.

FEBRUARY 19: P.A.B. by Kendra Augustin
Sweet, funny, and poignant, P.A.B. is a great look at the unknowns that unexpectedly bind us together with those we hold most dear. Madeline and Julianne have a complicated relationship, and it thrums with love and respect. A great addition to any 10 minute play festival

FEBRUARY 20: Swirl by Agyeiwaa Asante
SWIRL is an absolutely stunning exploration of the politics of race and gender, relationships, and what we want and what we're willing to sacrifice in order to get it. The stakes are so high for these characters, who have all been hurled together to change each other's perspectives. Asante flawlessly ups the tension throughout the play, and the final conflict pulls it all in in a perfect way

FEBRUARY 21: Carousel by Calley N. Anderson
A lovely contemplation of self and love in its various forms. I love the application of Greek philosophy to a romantic comedy -- what a truly unique and lovely idea.