Recommended by Debbie Lamedman

Anyone who has been tormented by an older sibling will feel the sting of this play by Dan Taube. The bullying by older sister Olivia is insidious, manipulative, and heart-wrenching. Taube's characters and their dialogue ring true, especially for the time period in which the play is set in 1947. "Twisted Sister" reminded me of a cat and mouse game, where the cat is clearly having much more fun than the poor little mouse. This is a great two-hander for skilled actors who are able to portray the subtext and relay what's really going on underneath the surface. Well done!

This is a wonderfully crafted and entertaining piece. And though I laughed out loud at the humor, and felt nostalgic toward my own siblings, there is a much bigger theme here. Abramovitz has seamlessly created a play that is a commentary on the modern world we live in, and the effect this world has on our young people. Liora desperately needs to build this Golem to keep her family safe. And though Abramovitz uses the lightest touch, the message hits hard. It's a frightening world out there; wouldn't it be nice if we all had a Golem to protect us?

What a sweet glimpse of burgeoning love we experience in this lovely 2-hander by Sasha Karuc. The giddiness, awkwardness, excitement, and lust one feels when the possibilities are ripe are all rich and present here. Karuc's play reminds me of a snapshot; a moment frozen in time that we will never live again, but we continue to stare at the photo in hopes that those feelings will blossom one more time. The relationship between these two characters is fun and multi-layered and this is easily produced for most 10-minute festivals.

This piece depicts a sweet moment between siblings during their father's funeral. Feeny-Williams has developed two believable characters where the dialogue and scenario ring true. James, believing all his life his father disapproved of him, is now able to make peace after realizing this wasn't the case at all. For many of us, finding out what our parents thought of us as adults is bittersweet and often comes too late when we can no longer have a conversation. LET'S DANCE is a poignant short play that gives us a glimpse into the life of a complicated family.

In this short play, Rachel Feeny-Williams give us a snapshot of a year in the life of a couple during COVID lockdown. The audience is a fly on the wall to the goings-on with this couple who only recently started living together when the Lockdown began. The disintegration of the relationship as the year goes on is shown with humor and pathos and is extremely relatable to all of us who have gone through this period with a partner. Feeny-Williams does a great job with making the time jump between scenes, and the characters and dialogue are realistic and multi-dimensional.

Written in a Damon Runyon-esque style, Alice Josephs gives us a short, sassy look behind the scenes at what might have been the beginnings of the hit musical "Guys and Dolls." A plethora of characters inhabit the world of this play, complete with gamblers, broads, and all the colorful New York types from the original show. The 1950s is a rich period to draw from, and Josephs brings it to life in this fun tribute to New York, Runyon, and that tough-talking wise guy we all know and love.

BREAK shows us the day in the life of a few middle-school teachers. But this isn't just any day. Accuardi meticulously builds the tension where we realize a student is hospitalized and the parents are holding a certain teacher responsible. Right or wrong, the occurrences in this play eerily and honestly mirror what it is like to be teaching in the 21st century. Combustible! This is an important play for our current time with fast-paced, sharp dialogue, and honest and relatable characters. Produce this play!

In a mere 5 pages, Dzubak shows us the rise and fall of a relationship; the falling in and out of love, that spans a period of three years. The piece is wide open to interpretation, as the actors on stage never speak, though we do hear them in voiceover. This play would be a great challenge and a glorious vehicle for actors with strong movement and dance skills. And directors will have a field day creating this poignant story of love and loss.

Eppich-Harris manages to create tension, fear, and humor in this 10-minute piece. I ran the gamut of emotions reading this fast-paced two-hander, feeling the terror this couple must be feeling, yet at the same time, chuckling at the petty arguments that come from being married to the same person for many years. In a short amount of time, we are given plenty to think about as we put ourselves in this situation. Powerful, funny, and poignant!

Cathro's CURVES is a fascinating character study of two lonely women dependent upon each other to feed their addiction. The sadness is palpable and the dialogue rings true as we watch one sister stand up to the other in an attempt to change her life and the rut they both find themselves in. Cathro captures both the misery of the predicament and the fear of leaving what is familiar. This is a powerful and excellent short two-hander, which unfortunately many of us can relate to. Terrific work!