Dad Don't Read This

dadpleasei am asking you nicelygo awaythis playis notfor youNY Times Critics' PickIn suburban Central Ohio, four girls meet weekly for a sleepover. They talk and sleep and play The Sims, a computer game that simulates real life, on a laptop. They gossip, snack, and attempt to get drunk. They strive to fulfill their needs, struggle to understand the relationship between doing and being seen, and begin to suspect they don't have a whole lot of agency. Wait, nevermind; that's The Sims. Eliya Smith's Dad Don't Read This is a coming-of-age play about the people who know you before you know anything. A love letter to adolescence and to teenage friendship, the play was published following a sold out 2026 summer premiere in New York City.