Recommended by Andrew Martineau

HYdration is refreshing in its originality and its total lack of stereotyping. I was rooting for both characters in their earnest attempt to communicate with each other and realize how much they have in common. This would a true gift for both actors and director. I would love to see this onstage and hear the reactions from a diverse audience.

“You are what you say you are/that’s how it works,” Clymene tells her son, Phaethon. This is a powerful play about a young offspring trying to prove his masculinity to the father he wants love and affirmation from, and the mother who gives him kind words of affirmation and acceptance. Beautifully written with strong roles for actors.

I had the pleasure to hear a podcast of this play that was very well acted and produced. The writing is first rate, and I was thoroughly intrigued to learn of the deal and eagerly wondered how the widow would react to her late husband’s bargain. I did not see the ending coming at all. The scenario is creepy and intriguing, and it is perfectly suited to the ten minute structure. I also enjoyed the New Orleans setting, which lends itself well to the horror genre. Excellent work!

I love the unique, unabashedly zany characters of self-actualized women in a world of psychic revelations and innovative career opportunities. I can picture someone like Catherine O’Hara diving into this play with deadpan abandon. The humor is great and never lets up, even when referencing the Salem witch trials!

This would really be a sad little Christmas play except that it’s so funny we can forgive these office workers for being so pathetically anti-Santa. I attended a Zoom holiday party like this last year that I was unfortunately reliving in my mind today, so when I read this, I laughed the whole way through it! Every lame office manager should have to watch this on Zoom.

DARK TWIST explores how the trauma of one’s past stays with a person with such unrelenting clarity and focus, and it brilliantly dramatizes the sharp pull that causes some adults to return to the scene of that trauma years later to confront the demons head on. Richard and Jeff deal with their own evolving identities and complicated relationship that was forged in boarding school. The play is almost an exorcism of sorts, with surprising discoveries about ritualistic cruelties and misunderstandings. Wonderfully structured with richly compelling dialogue and action.

I always say there’s nothing like a little culture war scenario to get us in the holiday mood! No, I actually haven’t said that, which is what makes Vivian Lermond’s so delightfully unique and surprising! Even though this is a spoof, there is a genuine feeling of sympathy that can be felt for the people of Goonsville, which amazes me when one considers that this is a ten-minute spoof. Wonderful play!

The subject of grief can be tough to get right in a short monologue, whether it be about a person or a beloved pet. “Bogie” works well because it focuses on the narrative and sensory details surrounding Bogie’s final moments of life, and it doesn’t ever fall back on cliches. It gives the actor a chance to tell the story and allows the audience to feel the loss along with the character. Nicely written piece!

This play feels so intimate that I felt as though I was eavesdropping on this conversation between close friends, and I was too captivated to stop listening. I didn’t know where the action was headed, but it has a strong, exhilarating ending. Great dialogue, as well. I would love to see this on stage.

As an introvert, I could relate to Angela’s dread at spending Christmas with in-laws and the unnecessary stress it can provoke. I laughed at the idea of a misspelled name on a gift. That is some passive-aggressive inspired brilliance right there. Sure, we could sit back and say she is being a real Scrooge, but I felt her pain. I would love to see this performed with the whole audience drinking a glass of wine along with her!