Recommended by Andrew Martineau

The collective slings and arrows of a famous musician’s life are laid bare after he decides to end it all for a little rest. This play assesses the pain that was caused by his escape, and I love the interrogation by a second record keeper to see if the taking of one’s own life deserves to be viewed with mercy. It is a wonderful play that examines the moral relativism of one action’s devastating consequences. A fascinating examination of what might happen to the soul after death. Excellent!

PUTT-PUTT is the kind of hysterical, irreverent play that lets your imagination run wild with Sapio’s inspired miniature, or should I say “alternative” biblical-themed golf course. While it may appear at first to be a one joke play, it slowly evolves into a study of how people with certain skills may be ridiculed for no good reason, and we should always celebrate unique talents and creative thinking. Wonderfully original and very funny!

This play reveals its characters to us slowly, like the peeling of an onion. I didn't know the nature of Paul's anxiety at first, but I figured there had to be much more to this than classic "helicopter" parentlng, and that turned out to be true. However, this play is not predictable at all, and as a father of a teenage girl myself, I felt deeply for Paul, yet I also understood Mike's viewpoints, as well, as abrasive as he is in this heated exchange. Wonderfully original and poignant. I would love to see this onstage!

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!