Recommended by Andrew Martineau

I saw a production of HOODED at the Mosaic Theatre in DC a few years back, and the beauty of it has never left me. The many complex societal themes in this play, along with a dose of modern philosophy, make this a drama for our times. So much has happened since the death of Trayvon Martin, and this play is even more relevant today than it was then. There are many issues here (code switching, intersectionality, as well as the universal issues of adolescent identity), but it is not heavy-handed. There is a lot of humor, as well. Brilliant!

This play is a blast, and it even includes discussion of a blast! Fantastic comedy about hackneyed dramatic writing, with inclusion of Star Wars references because, of course it does. I envy the actors who will play these characters in upcoming one-act festivals! Hilarious!

There is so much to admire in this short film noir style play. From the Rosebud-esque nature of “Adagio” to the carefully plotted sequence of surprising revelations of a grieving widow and her attorney friend, I kept imagining scenes between their spouses in which they reveal their private selves. The beauty of Biven’s play is that we don’t need the flashbacks that might have been played out in a 40s melodrama. All the conflict we need is here to enjoy in this wonderfully crafted drama. Well done!

It is a fact that a joke is not a riddle, just as a cruel joke is not funny. David Patten uses logic and pathos to portray a person on the autism spectrum who is intelligent, curious to learn new information, and courageous in dealing with his coworkers’ insensitivities. This is a strong monologue for an actor who wants to show their range in portraying a unique, multifaceted character through humor and tenacity. I would love to see this performed!

A B &B is a great place to set a play because there is an inherent awkwardness to it, at least for anyone not extroverted enough to find some level of enjoyment from it. There is plenty of awkwardness built into Ruyle’s play, with the playwright protagonist oblivious to the possibility that others might not fully appreciate his lecture on writing characters. There are wonderful insights here that I fully appreciate, such as his very astute observation that people are not really boring. “They just seem boring,” says George. This play is not boring. It’s quite intriguing!

This play had me laughing out loud. I love all of the poultry puns and the absurd yet poignant moments as these birds start to learn of their fate by the treacherous humans. I know this was written as a radio play and can work perfectly as one, but I would love to see actors standing at attention in turkey costumes. Wonderfully wacky!

CURTAIN CALL is the kind of comedy that actors love to play because, well… it’s about them and they know how to play actors, of course. I love the fickle emotions and fragile egos displayed in this opening night backstage setting. The playwright/actor seems to be deluding himself with his optimism and it’s fun to watch him in this conflict with his fellow thespians! Very enjoyable piece!

The acerbic, often brutally honest expressions of “love/hate” in this play show a couple that obviously feels a sense of exhilaration from their put downs, or so it seems. There is a cleverness to their verbal “hostility” and the game-like competition is often quite funny. Each insult gets nastier by the minute, and I would imagine that the two actors would enjoy playing this while working hard to finish before the timer goes off. Quite a wild and entertaining ride!

Sometimes a play can set you right back in a particular time and place just through a conversation of lost dreams that the world was not ready to make a reality. The MTV culture of the early 21st century is brought to vivid life by St. Croix in which he shows us the sad reality of an extremely homophobic music scene. I loved the line about wokeness and how the world wasn’t “out of bed” yet. Great dialogue and surprise reveal at the end that says so much about the toxicity of keeping secrets.

This play is quite unique and entertaining, and it shows how different a restroom experience may be between the sexes in multiple ways. The realms of masculine competitiveness, envy and political ideology are explored here to their full comic potential. GENTLEMEN covers a lot of ground in ten minutes, including our responsibility to not spread germs. Nicely done!