Recommended by Andrew Martineau

The father in this wonderfully funny and poignant play about three grown siblings in a car looms large, and that is how he wanted it. Excuse me, wants it. His message to his kids is profound and shows us how parents can help their children even through the grieving process. The dialogue is first rate. The final moment hit me with the feels, and in the best possible way. Truly enjoyable!

LONG LOST FRIEND has a fascinating, supernatural aspect to it, but what struck me about it on an emotional level was how relevant it is to our times now. With so many deeply sad stories of patients dying without family members around to hold their hands, this story resonated with me, even though it has nothing to do with the pandemic. Nya is a dynamic, multidimensional character. I would love to see this play.

This short parody of the beloved Dahl story raises many points about Charlie’s future happiness that really needed some clarification. While this has very fun, clever dialogue, it made me think a little deeper about how I bought into the “pure imagination” fantasy of a carefree existence for Charlie, now Chuck. Couldn’t we predict some unhappiness when the original owner of the factory was willing to give it away for free? A great “nothing is free” lesson for us all. Well done, Steven!

This is a thoroughly engaging short play with much at stake and lots of beats for two young actors to play. The interruptions add humor and suspense, and Danny’s admission to Rachel makes the awkwardness genuine. This would be great for a New Year’s Eve night of fun theatre!

From the moment this couple thinks the Uber driver took a wrong turn to the final, chilling moment, this plays packs a gut punch that is seismic. Theatrical and relevant in the most profound way. Everyone needs to witness this play.

Carli is a character who is strong yet vulnerable, and even though his boss’s actions make sense, considering what he reveals to Carli, I was surprised by the ending nonetheless, and amazed by the level of dramatic tension in such a short space of time. The final monologue is powerful. Carli is an extremely dynamic character worth rooting for.

A ten minute play can often feel incomplete or the start of a bigger play that needs more character development, especially when it’s a drama. Ryan Kaminski has crafted a short play that feels absolutely right in terms of its brief scope. The point here is for two of the characters to not know enough about each other as human beings to fully understand the weight of their feelings and the complexities of their individual lives. It is shocking, and the ending is devastatingly final. Well done!

The need for human physical touch is conveyed with unexpected emotional recall through a simple hug, as is these characters had completely forgotten what it felt like to connect in this way after only a six month isolation. The irony of seeing this play virtually must add a poignancy to this exchange that we can all relate to on some level. Seeing it in person with living, breathing actors would be a revelation.

I love the domestic tension that this monologue conveys with such specificity and purpose. It would be so easy for an actor to play this as simply a husband trying to impress his wife with a list of tasks he has accomplished, rather than as a man behaving as a teenager who uses his list of accomplishments as a negotiation strategy to get the video games back in operation. I would love to see and hear this!

This is a powerful monologue based on a true account of a sheriff who had the courage to do the right thing when justice was hanging in the balance. These stories need to be told, and theatre can make it feel immediate and necessary to be told, regardless of when it has taken place. Sadly, this story still has urgency. Well done, Donald.