Recommended by Paul Donnelly

I had the pleasure of hearing this lovely piece read on Theatrical Shenanigans. It features two engaging characters who are as interesting for their flaws as for their strengths. The birth of a child is always fraught with heightened emotions and it is heartening to see these two strangers bond and work their way to an uplifting resolution.

The virulent menace of the first scene evolves into a weighty mix of loss and a slender hope of reconciliation in the final scene. Everything plays in a heightened reality that is both disorienting and gripping. Language is weaponized and subtext is a thicket of jagged danger. Transcending the conventions of naturalism, this work offers a unique approach to the age old conundrum of fraught parent/child relationships.

What a charming example of the need to be realistic in seeking love. The gym setting reinforces Betty's obsession with physical attractiveness. It takes two surprise twists to get her to see the nature of true attraction. It's great fun to follow her learning curve.

This is a well-constructed buddy comedy with real heart. Stuck in the desert, they share their histories and surprising points of connection arise. Both will leave this moment better able to cope with the curve balls life has recently thrown them. These are two clearly drawn and engaging characters and it is a real pleasure to share this time with them.

AI parents are evidently generically programmed rather than modeled on their actual predecessors. This is bad news indeed for poor Menno and suggests the way AI can be bad for all of us. A very funny play with a serious underlying message.

I found much more comedy than horror in this glorious send-up of the mad scientist genre. The nonchalant Exterminator is a joy to behold as they puncture Victor's pomposity, remove the cache from reanimation, and offer chemical advice. All in a days work in this very funny farcical universe.

What I found here is a heady mix of Harold Pinter and Agatha Christie. The suspense rests on wondering when the Visitor will find out there's been a murder. In the meantime, these two uneasy strangers bicker and philosophize and offer their varied perspectives on Dick. Dick popping out leads to an unresolved resolution.

This is a really gripping piece of subtly building dread. A postpartum nightmare come to chilling life. The authentic bond between these parents makes the ultimate horror of their situation all the more devastating.

So much plays under the surface of the halting dialogue between A and B. Their inability to speak the plain truth and to address the issues before them is wittily rendered. The Dog's direct and violent response juxtaposes ironically with their verbal obfuscations. There is no place for the primal in A and B's world.

What once made 1 in 30 million painfully unique turns out to be the characteristic that saved their life. And made them a star even if they started from the wrong Hollywood. This is an original and funny tale, endearingly told.