Recommended by Andrew Martineau

The Booth brothers provide a highly intriguing conflict, cleverly depicted by Cam Torres in anachronistic style. is this a dream? Perhaps, but what is crystal clear here is that tables have turned and now Edwin is the jealous sibling, despite his fame and family honor being overshadowed by villainous treachery. A fascinating look at a dark moment in our history.

Surprisingly, I think this is the first play I have read set on a certain holiday that shall demean nameless, lest I give away the twist at the end. This is zany, goofy fun, and I mean that in the best way. Sometimes you just need a good laugh, and David Lipschutz delivers it. This would be so much fun to watch!

Oh, this play is a gift, a wonderful gift for audiences and directors, and especially for two senior actors. Ricardo Soltero-Brown doesn’t make eccentric caricatures out of this characters, and he doesn’t make them too gentle and sweet. He makes them human, with real world problems for aging people trying to remember a particular cat. Beautiful!

This play has such a sublime abundance of wit that I was almost ready to give Julia a portion of my soul myself, or at least a nice smattering of applause. I was not prepared for the discovery of the sweetness of this exchange wrapped up in truly clever wordplay. I am certain this would a huge hit in a festival of comedic shorts.

I will never pass a lobster tank in a grocery store again without thinking about Lawing’s celebrity lobster. Move over, Larry the Lobster; there is a new orange-tinted crustacean on display. Oh, the exploitation! This is really clever and fun.

Marc Harris has crafted a charming collection of intriguing scenes on a coach trip to Blackpool, each filled with conversations that have a myriad of surprising twists and resolutions. I can envision Harris’ play being a hit with theatres for its easily producible script and with audiences looking for relatable, likable characters. Take a fun trip with Travelling Light!

The title in this incredibly heartbreaking and powerful monologue reveals that it didn’t actually stop. The pain continued and will never stop. No action on Timothy’s part to try to seek retribution will ease the pain; this we know. Don Baker is a writer who confronts injustice head on, and his work is always phenomenal. This gut-wrenching testimonial is no exception. Bravo!

From the cryptic title to the sparse, naturalistic dialogue, this is a ten minute that builds quickly with suspense and tension and gives us a realistic, dramatic resolution. Jaxson Mackling takes us on a ride that has an important message, but he does it without being pedantic or melodramatic. A beautiful short play for actors to work on full of great subtext and emotion.

Our names can give us such a sense of identity, especially when they are tied to an iconic literary figure. I never thought about how the name Beneatha, given to a character that Lorraine Hansberry utilized in A Raisin in the Sun, could be imagined in such a cruel way as a teenager describes it within Beneatha’s story in this powerful monologue. Karp gives us a moving narrative about identity and discrimination that will keep you thinking about it long after you experience it.

Casper only wanted a relaxing vacation and thought he and his partner would be safe at the resort, but they find themselves in a nightmarish situation thanks to bigoted zealots who should never have the power to put lives in needless jeopardy. I watched a wonderfully acted video of Sickle’s superb monologue with Talking Horses Productions. If I didn’t know it was by the highly gifted Mr. Sickles, I could have assumed it might have been penned by Margaret Atwood, Harvey Fierstein, or any of the great writers who reflect on our times and make us shudder.