Recommended by Andrew Martineau

I was feeling so much sympathy for Barbara while reading of her empty nest and full basket that I thought, well maybe she’ll share Christmas with her daughter and granddaughter, since it will be her “turn” by then. Parenting is really a rollercoaster of emotions in the later stages, and Dana Hall has written a strong monologue for a mature actor to convey the full spectrum of mixed feelings. So poignant.

I love the simple, genuinely heartfelt nature of this monologue that is not maudlin or cliche, but surprisingly serene and up-lifting. Granted, the thought of a woman visiting her mother’s gravesite and sharing flowers at a toddler’s site, a young girl she has never met, seems a little strange at first. But it’s actually quite touching. Perhaps this is the best of what cemeteries can do for grieving people. Beautiful work!

This monologue would be powerful and poignant in any day and age, but today it feels urgent and necessary. It’s told from a second person point of view, even though it is clearly the speaker’s very personal experience, and this gives this amazing piece the feeling that it is an experience that is so very relatable and immediate for so many. Read this monologue!

This play blasts itself like an electric current. It puts on its “war face” and doesn’t hold back. And yet we feel and witness the vulnerability of both the worm and rubio, especially the worm, who is angry and sad simultaneously for their friend who decides to live an inauthentic life in the suburbs. This is not a joyous wedding day, but this play is a powerful, fascinating look at a world turned upside down once again. Outstanding!

Oh, wow…I can’t think of a time I laughed so much in my head. Oh, no, am I one of the 30-50% hearing sounds that only I hear, as Martin reveals in his intro to his brilliantly dark and funny short play? This humor and quick-witted, absurd dialogue reminds me of the comic style of Christopher Durang and David Lindsey-Abaire. I love that it takes a serious issue in our society (children with access to guns) and finds a way to see the craziness of it all. Fantastic!

This short thriller has an authentic “film noir” quality to it that is intoxicatingly intriguing. The dialogue is sharp and the twist is surprising, What you think is going to be romantic takes a melancholic turn, in a very good way. Nice roles for actors. I would love to see this.

As Brian’s body starts to weaken, his mind and spiritual side strengthens, thanks to an amazing caretaker named Angela with her own demons to battle. This is an extraordinarily powerful drama in which the author, Darrin Friedman, never pushes it over the edge into melodrama, a fate of many other dramas about terminal illness and redemption that don’t trust their characters to take their time to learn what they are fighting for. I would love to see this. It’s great on the page, but on stage I can only imagine how breathtaking it would be to watch.

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!

When is “play” not really “play,” and if the game ceases to be fun, can it even be considered “play’” anymore? I love the existential nightmarishness of this brief play (another use of the word “play” that is meant to be entertaining but sometimes in a very scary way). I also feel this clever play evokes the feeling of anxiety very well because you know it seems irrational but that doesn’t stop it occurring. I am going to be thinking about this play all day (in a very good way)!

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!