←The Depot for New Play Readings

In John Minigan’s unsettling “Covenant,” the leader Creed avers bones grow back stronger after a break. This play aims to break some bones. Why do we believe? Why do we trust? Why do we obey? “Covenant” begins with an interrogation, and through flashbacks, reveals parallel systems of belief and hierarchy. Surprises come almost moment-by-moment and keep the audience on edge with a claustrophobic study of the psychology of manipulation. Ultimately, we are left to ponder who the believers are and what tragedies result when loss of faith results in violent intervention. Strongly recommended.

Donna Latham’s Southern Gothic “Yella Jack” powerfully renders an unlikely sisterhood who convert a brothel into a hospital for the indigent. In language that is closer to poetry than prose, and dotted with extraordinary monologues, Latham plumbs medical history, women’s history, class, race, and the traditions of multiple religions in a story about a yellow fever epidemic in Memphis, 1878. Like Shakespeare, Latham employs humor and pathos, and like the Greeks, she structures the play around short scenes and choral-like odes. The result is compelling and unforgettable. A gem for an ensemble of diverse actors. Strongly recommended.

In Michael Perlmutter’s theatrical “Open Meeting Closed” four women in an AA group close one afternoon’s meeting to confront another woman about her behavior, and the intervention quickly derails into unpredictable chaos and bickering. The play’s strength lies in Perlmutter’s expert creation of unique characters. These women are tart in their own ways, yet through finely crafted monologues in which they reveal their traumas, they earn our sympathy. The action is well paced and the reversals and revelations by turns humorous and heartbreaking. A perfect vehicle for a strong ensemble of women. Highly recommended.

In her masterful retelling of the Gospels, “James of Nazareth,” Lisa Dellagiarino Feriend imagines the mundane lives of Jesus’ mother Mary, brother James, and James’ wife Hannah and son, Daniel. The entry point is pitch-perfect comedy, but the play envelops current concerns about violence, resistance, and love and compassion. The plot centers on the conflict between the brothers, one who understands too much and one who understands too little. Neither preachy nor doctrinaire, the play strikes multiple notes and ultimately speaks to the sorrows of not one singular family but many families across time and place. Highly recommended.

In “Do You Want Fries with That?” George Sapio brilliantly satirizes the heartlessness of corporate culture. The play is structured as a journey of an everywoman, Martha, a new ad writer at Duckblind International Communications. As Martha learns to lie and cheat to keep her job, Sapio catalogs the euphemisms, double speak, and quarterly efficiency reports that make the modern workplace hell. With highly sympathetic characters, mordantly funny dialog, and touching moments of rare connection among co-workers, Sapio offers a terrific snapshot of the “quiet desperation” of the Marthas among us.

In “Tiny Empty Nest,” an ordinary pair of empty nesters, Ben and Claire Booker, attempt to repair their marriage by competing on a reality TV show, Tiny Empty Nest, in which middle-aged couples build and live in tiny houses. Steeped in action, with inventive staging, zippy dialog, and a beautiful pictorial quality, David Beardsley delivers a clever, funny, and ultimately touching examination of mid-life crises that never takes a wrong step. A sure crowd pleaser, “Tiny Empty Nest” offers companies of any size great roles for older actors and exciting opportunities for production and design teams. Strongly recommended.

“In This House” is a beyond-brilliant gift to actors. Through the lives of three women, Girard evokes a South Boston neighborhood: lunch lady Jessie, her life-long friend Maggie, and her college-aged daughter Lynn. When Jessie opens her home to cancer patients and their families, the once-stable relationships among the women list, while the visits of Lenny, a New Hampshire farmer, threaten to capsize Jessie. In exquisite language, Deirdre Girard renders the gifts of vulnerability and its costs, and we learn, for Jessie and Lenny, as for us all, there is no free lunch. Strongly recommended.

An automated radio station in Iowa represents the deadest of ends for Chris Wood and Loralie Kent. Then one Saturday, they wait for the arrival of Mitch Maclay. In this surprising one-act play, Craig Bailey covers a lot of emotional ground. Chris and Loralie argue, order take out, and fly paper airplanes, but as the shadows lengthen, past sorrows make way for hope, and Chris and Loralie discover how to set their lives in motion. Moving and unpredictable, “Mitch Maclay Sings Just for You” offers great roles and powerful monologues. Suitable for high school programs. Highly recommended.

David Guaspari’s “Psychoanalysis and Its Discontents” packs plenty of laugh-out-loud moments into fifteen minutes. Set in Vienna on Walpurgisnacht, a shady character, Mortimer Todd, visits the home of Sigmund Freud and upends the household. Dead goldfish, loaded guns, and charades ensue, fodder for Freud’s impromptu analysis of his guest and his ongoing treatment of Minna, his sister-in-law. Guaspari’s brilliant word play and deep dive into psychoanalytic theory is Stoppard-like: erudite and completely entertaining. Best, audiences need no knowledge of Freud’s theories to enjoy the romp. And how does it all end? With a cigar of course.

Are backstage fairytales possible? Adam has written a play. It’s about him and his ex, Celeste, and it’s about to premier in New York. Celeste, a Broadway star, threatens to nix the production if the play rings false. What follows is a duel between two brilliant artists who connect most truly in bits of playful fiction. Knowing and highly theatrical, Michael McGoldrick’s “Backstage Fairytale” walks a tightrope between humor and heart and never slips. A gem for two comedic actors who also can play in a minor key. A five-star crowd pleaser.