Recommended by Andrew Martineau

INSIDE is a fascinating dramatic look at Multiple Personality Disorder. The device of multiple actors inhabiting the person and the other voices works beautifully here, and the story of abuse is slowly revealed both to us and to the psychiatrist unraveling the mystery of the fateful, horrific event that led to the hospitalization. A smart, emotionally-charged glimpse at mental illness told in a truly sympathetic and realistic way. Excellent!

If we can’t laugh at siblings paying tribute to their fathers at his funeral and failing miserably, then what can we laugh at? This is irreverent humor at its hysterical best! I love the fact that they are on a tight schedule, and also the fact that a Picasso lies in the balance. I can only imagine the laughs from audience members who can relate to the absurdism of this spectacle. Great comic writing!

I absolutely love this play. Paul Smith creates a simple, seemingly ordinary conversation between strangers on a bench and shows us how a chance encounter can be life changing. The small gesture of giving away a classic book that has been forgotten and revisited is just one touching moment and is a stark reminder of how quickly life can pass us by. A FAVOUR also reminds us that we never know what the person sitting next to us is going through, so we should always strive to be kind. Beautiful in its simplicity and emotional resonance!

This short play about a woman trying to raise some donations for the needy gives me the right amount of holiday spirit, and it’s still spring! As Mary confronts opportunism and cynicism on her corner, her goofy demeanor is infectious enough to make everything turn out right. A fun, clever Christmas play!

PERMISSION is a wonderful play about the complex nature of grief, particularly when it involves a young married couple and the complex feelings associated with moving on with one’s life. I was happy that Bruce Karl avoided a cloying, sentimental tone and explored the feelings from both sides honestly and realistically. Nice work!

This play was fun to read and I would love to see an artist’s rendering of the audience painting! There is a nice plot twist at the end, and the light-hearted humor in this makes it highly entertaining. The idea of the starving artist as a person who may not deserve pity was refreshing. Nicely crafted piece!

The socioeconomic class divide is brought into sharp focus on this dark comedy about a white couple wearing their privilege on their sleeves, or should I say plates? Although this is set in the future, it seems plausible that this could actually happen now. I would love to see this performed. I could actually envision a whole TV series with this outrageous couple! Great stuff!

TIME CODE is a play for our times set in another era in which the cultural mores of the past are brought back into sharp focus. I love how the title of this play reveals how these two older movie actors view the action on the screen and a freeze frame can expose shocking truths that have been repressed for many years. The technical attention to details in Lockhart’s script make this both authentic and devastating. Fantastic!

Grief and the norms and customs of handling grief make for intriguing drama, and Fannin has crafted a fascinating look at the ways people cope with loss in different ways. Paul very reluctantly buries his beloved pet because he has to or face eviction. The conventions of burial are examined by these characters, and the idea that it doesn’t matter how it is accomplished as long as an effort is made, starts the process of grief. There is so much in this that makes me want to see it performed. A thought-provoking and evocative piece!

The relationship between these two men evolves slowly, and there is hope that Dr. Dowda’s direct but compassionate interactions with his patient will have an impact and lessen the man’s bigotry. As his characters find an ethnic connection, Mabey skillfully avoids the pitfalls of being didactic and presents a very realistic exchange between these two very different people. A highly relevant play. Thought-provoking and moving!