“ There is so much to love here in this unexpectedly poignant yet funny short play between a regretful father and his grown son. Does this father really want to be buried beside the dead rats? Who knows? And is he really worried about wearing a shirt that a Black male model wears? Again, I am not sure, and that’s what is so fascinating about Big Jake. The mug apparently smells of mortality. That line really got me. I would love to see this! ”

“ So much is captured in a few brief pages and the stakes could not be higher. What Melissa Milich dramatizes so beautifully and profoundly in such a clear, concise way is the everyday community reaction to the Vietnam War when public opinion started to change and the anguish of the young people trying to make sense of it. I love that the marriage proposal is devoid of sentimentality. Both of these characters are thinking practically and know it is not going to be an easy road for them. The father’s final line to the neighbors says so much. Excellent! ”

“ I was immediately swept up in the New York vaudeville scene of the 1920s with Zareh Artinian's incredibly engaging look at an Italian painter seeking to paint scenery and to get to know the boss's daughter a little better. The dialogue feels so authentic, and the characters are so well-drawn. The story feels bigger than this short play provides, and my hope is that "The Big Brush" expands and Artinian uses an even bigger "pen" to make it a full-length play. It's a fantastic piece of dramatic writing. ”

“ I love a good story that is so unique that you can’t predict where it’s headed. Jack Levine crafts a chance meeting between neighbors (who don’t know they’re neighbors), and we watch as an attraction develops. I love the absurd notion of a bubble device to gauge buoyancy, and I am a sucker for oddballs making a connection. Wonderful! ”