Recommended by Andrew Martineau

What I find most captivating about this play is the naturalistic dialogue among three friends who reveal some rather startling behavior at times. This would be a great short play for actors working on subtext in a class because there is much here that is unspoken, just below the surface. While it works as a short one-act, I would love to know what happens next with these characters.

It seems like a while ago, and yet, it doesn’t. I don’t envy those who were searching for companionship or intimacy during those trying, anxiety-ridden times in the worst of the pandemic. The irony here is that the tangible masks are not masking true feelings. Tom Erb has crafted very revealing and frank dialogue that reveals people desperately searching for a connection, both physical and emotional. Very entertaining piece!

Wow! As a dad who is currently teaching his daughter to drive, this one hit me with incredible force and emotion. The tension, the pathos, the tragic circumstances… it’s all here in a few pages. I would love to see this performed. What a gift to two actors.

Playwrights know that good monologues and short plays has an urgency about them—a need to get something in the here and now and not hold back, unless there is an inherent need to hide something in an effort to get something, and then drop a big reveal. This is a play with connecting monologues for writers by a writer who doesn’t face rejection lying down. The language and the urgency in this are incredibly strong. Yes!

If there is a monologue that speaks to a profound Easter message about caring for those who warrant our respect despite hardships that keep them from wearing their “Sunday best,” this is it. Melissa Milich has written an eloquent and humorous reflection from childhood that has a real Harper Lee feel to it. It reminded me of my days long ago as an altar boy, although I missed the whole Latin Mass experience. The baseball/angel metaphor and the play on the homophones “holey” and “holy” are amazing. I loved it!

The feeling of unconditional love in this remarkably poignant short play between a college student and his dying aunt is palpable. Neil Ellis Orts never gets saccharine in his dialogue and makes each moment count. The need to keep living despite the inevitable flipping of the calendar makes Aunt Patty a fighter, but even her brusque treatment of her nephew is grounded in love. I would really like to see this performed by skilled actors. Outstanding!

Beyond the rather raunchy and hilarious action of this sci-fi comedy, there is a rather heartwarming story about a married couple in space attempting to make their final moments together special, with the help of two robots transmitting sensuous feelings to the humanoid pair. I love the Gordon Lightfoot mood-altering effects, along with the reference to Ringo. Inspired lunacy worth taking a wild trip to the outer limits for!

What is so captivating about this piece is how it moves from a conversation about racial stereotyping of hip hop fans to a very serious accusation that could let a police officer off for alleged murder. These young movie theatre employees and friends live in different worlds, and Eddie’s naïveté leads him down a dangerous path that he doesn’t seem to fully comprehend. This is a powerful drama that shows us the complexity of what we observe with our own eyes through different sociological lenses. I would love to see this performed.

As I was reading this short play about contractual dating in the future, I kept asking myself what I really thought about interpersonal communication and romantic developments. I can see how we might come to this, out of a need to protect ourselves from future entanglements that we might have been more cautious about, but the truly satisfying part of Mike Byham’s world here is there is no clear answer as to how first encounters of the romantic kind should go. We just go along for the wild dystopian ride just to see where the coin lands. So good!

As a teacher, I was deeply moved by both of these beautiful ly rendered monologues. The first one asks simple requests, which essentially are about other people treating these vulnerable kids with dignity and respect. The second one is from the perspective of a former 9 1 1 dispatcher, and it shows that keeping kids safe at school cannot always be guaranteed. Both monologues show us professionals who truly care about kids. Every school board member everywhere should read these.