Recommended by Paul Donnelly

Graceless and uncouth Claire is a sight to behold in this vivid short. Her failure to appreciate a thoughtful gift and the reason for that failure are heartbreaking. The set up and reversal are handled masterfully in this exquisite gem of a play.

A poignant and sometimes harrowing look at the cost paid by a real young man for his father's popular fictionalized account of his childhood. The abandonment of the real young man takes a toll, as does his service in the Second World War. Milne seems to realize a little, but perhaps not quite enough, about the harm he has done. That these superbly drawn characters have real life models only adds to the depth and resonance of the narrative.

Oh my god is this play riotously funny! From the deadpan (sorry) wit of the opening beats through the punny return of the Bard the laughs just don't stop. It is abundantly clear why this play has a long production history. May it have many more.

What a lovely tribute to the spirit of and the characters who make up community theater. That spirit it seems lives blessedly on once we've shuffled off this mortal coil. This charming play stirs up many fond memories and is a worthy tribute to those who have passed before us.

Is there any greater relationship challenge than sharing a bathroom? 2 Bdrm 1 Bath captures the humorous frustration and necessary compromises that constitute the first year of marriage. It's great fun to share this couple's journey as they are both so cleanly drawn. The importance of the mundane provides a witty through line for this lovely narrative.

Well that was intense. And surreal. And disorienting. And a powerful metaphor for the torturous path that is grief. Absurd humor bumps against real feelings in a vividly theatrical context. McDonalds, Dante's Inferno, DND, Buckey the Beaver, the nature of faith, the effects of early religious training and trauma, and multiple car wrecks are tossed together to make a compelling journey and an ultimately resonant whole.

What a riotous salute to murder mysteries and improv! The two elements are wittily blended to provide ever escalating humor. And oh how the amateur throws his whole self into the improv! I would love to see this play, with its mix of verbal dexterity and physical comedy, on its feet.

Two's company, four's a crowd? This brisk witty comedy looks at two characters trying to manage their alter-egos as well as a pretty awkward date. The hilarity escalates as these characters and their alter-egos push in and out of the foreground. The kicker ending suggests that we all have alter-egos. I hope mine is better behaved!

This is a charming comedy that lifts the spirits and warms the heart. Robin's endearing goofiness pries a secret (and a cookie) out of Sunny. That they become co-conspirators is the icing on this delicious confection.

I laughed long and hard at this delirious satire of marketing ploys and ... ah ... male enhancement products. The struggle for prose is real and Sam triumphs over it to the great pleasure of readers and audiences. Very funny stuff here.