Critical Acclaim features two extraordinary undergraduate psychology majors at a prestigious Boston-area university: KATHRYN, a freshman, and DEVIN, a senior.  The former has "outgrown" her creative pursuits; the latter is plagued by the expectations accompanying his artistic talents and those of his father, a successful painter.  The two meet as tutor and student in an apartment more like an art museum than a residence, sending KATHRYN on a mission to understand her reticent, often angry partner and the pieces with which he surrounds himself.  The answers she finds, however, turn her infatuation sour and her investigation inward as both characters reexamine their view of themselves, their psychology, and the nature of the work around them.

Critical Acclaim was a finalist for the Robert J Pickering Award for Playwriting Excellence in Coldwater, MI (2002) and sold over100 seats during its short run.

The script to Critical Acclaim is available for further production.  Any inquiries regarding the script should be addressed to John Michael Manship at mike@southcitytheatre.org.