RECOMMENDED

It’s a risk for any theater company to devote an entire run to new work from unknowns, so kudos to Tympanic for “Bastards of Young,” its tribute to the spectral and the outcast.

The eight short plays showcased in “Bastards” are a mixed bag. Standouts include Rob Matsushita’s “May is a Special Time of the Year,” Bob Fisher’s “Personal Apocalypse” and Josh Mikel’s “The Great Black Vulture.” All three pieces make sharp use of vulnerability, tension and fear. But the characters in Mick Greco’s “Northstar Navigation” need fleshing out, while the premise of Lauren Yee’s “Zachary Zwillinger Eats People,” never quite gets off the ground.

Kudos also to some fine performances: Danielle Forrester as a silky, surreal “advocate” displays killer timing; and Adam Schulmerich is teetering-on-the-edge menacing as an unhinged Paul Bunyan. Not everything works but it’s refreshing to see a young company shake off complacency. (Lisa Buscani)

“Bastards of Young” plays at The Tympanic Theatre Company at The Side Project, 1439 W. Jarvis, (773)442-2882, through November 8.