Recommended by Andrew Martineau

REMAINDERS has an intriguing storyline: old books that have been relegated for “dollar a bag” status discuss their fate without fully understanding their declining cultural significance or popularity. Moran has crafted a humorous play involving a confused Rudy Giuliani text that has fallen to the depths of discarded non-fiction and a very entertaining “Sweet Valley High” throwback hopelessly lost in 90s vernacular. Well done!

This is the sort of sophisticated marriage comedy I could imagine Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn doing to superb comic effect back in the day. Of course, great comedic actors need a great comedic script, and Feriend delivers the goods. I could see a festival putting on both endings and letting the audience decide on their favorite. I think both work well. I would love to see more screwball episodes with this entertaining duo!

SPAT! offers faced-paced, sometimes slightly raunchy action and very funny verbal assaults involving a married couple whose marriage is presumably about to end and the wife’s torrid affair with Paco. The couple’s scenes are juxtaposed with a couple of tender, yet also very funny, scenes with Paco declaring his undying love. The rapid-fire dialogue and steamy encounters make this a comedy delight. I would love to see this onstage!

I have always loved absurdism, especially absurd plays that experiment with language in interesting ways, and the linguistic acuity in this play is phenomenal. Playing these characters would be a genuine treat for actors with strong comedic timing. Even the title is funny, and I hope that’s enough to get people to read it. Reading it made me laugh, but it really needs to be performed and relished. Bravo!

Wow! I was not prepared for a Christmas play centered on the backstory for one of the strangest Christmas songs I’ve ever heard, but this was hysterical. The horror show ending to this parody is something my imagination cannot unsee, and I am fine with that! I would love to see this as a part of an evening of irreverent holiday plays!

Talk about having a “social dilemma”! This play is a warning of where our text-weary culture is headed if we don’t pay close attention. Yes, we can laugh at Sansone-Braff’s carefully crafted text exchanges, and this is truly funny, but it is also a cautionary tale. The two bullets joke was amazing and put a cap on a strong string of outrageous messages. Fantastic!

As someone who teaches college courses and tutors on the side, I could seriously relate to this play. I love the dramatization of simultaneous text messages, as well as the message about Canvas being that thing that causes stress. This is hysterical from beginning to end! The ending is perfect. Well done, Ross!

The deep friendship between two high school and college BFFs begins to unravel in the first scene when we realize that one of them seems unequipped for adulthood and makes a rash decision that drives a wedge between them. The play is smartly structured to show the ripple effect of one irresponsible action that was well-intentioned. It is a story that ultimately is about love, and it is heartbreaking real and poignant. A wonderful drama for two young actors!

This is the kind of “buddy” play that once was very popular and the type that I think we could use more of these days, regardless of whether it’s sports-related or not. It has rapid, comedic dialogue with a satisfying ending, and it never feels forced for the sake of laughs. I saw a reading of this at the Midwest Dramatists’ Conference, and I remember what a crowd pleaser it was. Wonderfully fresh and fun!

This short parody of a dystopian, post-apocalyptic narrative involving aging former rockers shining a glimmer of hope on the decaying rubble is exhilarating. Pandemonium Thorpe is a dynamic character for a teen actor to be play, heroic yet still a little vulnerable in this uncertain, too quiet world. The ending was surprising and perfect. I would love to see and hear this performed live onstage!