Recommended by Daniel Prillaman

DC Cathro is a twisted and cruel genius. His plays are filled with a dark whimsy that leaps off the page and burrows its way into your soul. “Goldfish” is...arguably the wildest short play I’ve ever read. So nudge nudge...produce this sucker and you’ve got a piece audiences won’t be able to stop talking about for weeks. The set-up, the layers of complexity and musing on revenge, and the twist! You won’t see it coming. And...it’s a good one. Damn, it’s a good one.

A masterful piece of writing that completely transports us to the era, DeVita’s play is a ruthless, funny, heartbreaking revelation. “Phillie’s Trilogy” rightly deserves all its praise, evoking memories of the great American dramas, but speaking on issues that are laser-focused to our time, as well as simultaneously timeless when you consider the bigger canvas of humanity. The characters are brilliantly drawn, even when unlikeable, and the ending is one of the more perfect denouements I’ve encountered. Ever. If you’re on NPX, you should be aware of this work. You should also do it.

This play is DELIGHTFUL. The zombie has become the quintessential American monster (perhaps an argument for later, DM me), and McClain has written a horror comedy that, without spoiling how, speaks directly to the insensitivity that has also unfortunately become quite synonymous with the country. It’s a brilliant twist. It’s funny. It’s bloody. And it reminds us that treating other humans like humans maybe shouldn’t be so hard. All involved here would have a blast.

The best horror isn’t just a negative experience (at least for the characters in it). The best horror holds that mirror to our faces and makes us question our own world, our place and our role in it. Sickles’ play is the best kind of horror, scary on the surface, but so much more chilling underneath when you consider the repercussions and implications it raises. Add in the surprisingly heartfelt turn of events, you’ve got a play well worth your time. Highly recommend.

If you’re a fan of comic books, you’ll appreciate Cross’s revenge and brutal skewering of the trope through which we’ve lost many women to refrigerators. If you’re a fan of Saw-like machinations and death tool architecture, you’ll appreciate the hilarious and “cutting” commentary of torture porn. If you’re a fan of Monica Cross, you’re in for a treat. If you aren’t...you should be.

Paddington. Winnie the Pooh. Teddy Ruxpin. Society has come to recognize so many bears as cuddly and jolly creatures, we forget that, if crossed, they can be dangerous monsters. “The Language Bear” has a dangerous monster personality, and it is creepy as hell. Plummer lets us hear the bear, just a bit at first, but then we hear it more. And more. Wisely, she never lets us see it, letting our minds conjure just exactly what this...thing behind the door is. Brilliant little short for any Halloween Festival. Well done.

In a word, “beautiful.” Martin’s plays celebrate life and the intersection of artist and audience in a way I’ve never encountered elsewhere, and “An Appreciation” not only shares this quality, but it is masterful in its simplicity, speaking volumes without lifting a finger. It lets us, dares us to do the work, and it is magical. I imagine that experiencing this as an audience member would not only be utterly unique, but give the total strangers a shared unifying euphoria. I hope everyone one day will get to experience this play live. We could use it.

“50 Shades” this isn’t. Thank God for that. Amidst Kendall’s powerhouse dramedy about just why in the hell we’re turned on by what turns us on is a pleasantly educational window into a world we know of but maybe don’t truly know. Each actor/designer gets a chance to shine during the wild ride of power shifts. Clementine, in particular, gives us some real “Hail, Aphrodite!” vibes, but Kendall instills her with depth and a guarded demeanor that only a human can have, and would be a delight to watch an actor bring her to life.

The twisted, whimsical love child (pun intended) of the Nativity and the more positive version of Rosemary’s Baby, “Andela” is a play unlike any you have encountered before. Floyd-Priskorn’s comedy is fast and furious, but continuously grounded by the relationships at the heart of her story, resulting in a piece that doesn’t shy away from the darker, sorrowful parts of life, but lifts its head high at the prospect of overcoming them. There's a lot of theatre magic to be had here for any production team.

Acts of God or forces of nature have an odd way of equalizing everyone on the playing field. The same applies to two strangers on opposite sides of a legal battle, and this play beautifully captures that strange, transcendent unifying in the calm before some brewing storm unexpected. A brilliant, captivating, and introspective short piece that says just as much in its silences as its dialogue, Sickles’ works wonders and lays not a moment to waste. Highly recommend.