Recommended by Donald E. Baker

A young White convict, Stu, new to the penal system, has become the cellmate of Vince, an older Black convict with a violent history. Through sly dialogue and monologues, Vince skillful plays on Stu's fears of what will happen to him if the gangs get hold of him. Once Stu is thoroughly terrified, Vince makes him an offer. It's never stated openly, but one can guess. Is it an offer Stu can't refuse? Vince is one of the most chilling characters you'll ever encounter. A devil indeed. Good work!

Although it is set in 2004, Ken Love's play touches on issues prevalent today--including an aging politician hanging on to power. In a close election for the U.S. Senate, the young, Black, female challenger has a very personal weapon that could destroy the old, white incumbent. Audiences will figure it out pretty early on, but the question is whether, in a close campaign, will she use her information or not. Will she go high, or go low. An excellent, timely play with six memorable characters.

When it comes to depicting the dynamics of "ordinary" families, no one does it better than Philip Middleton Williams. The people, the situations, the emotions are always recognizable. In this lovely short play, a son has disappointed his father by not loving the same books he did. Generations do go their own ways. But once the father is gone, the son finds the books--and the reading of them--have gained importance as a remaining tangible link to their relationship. Well and warmly done.

When I want punny wordplay and quirky characters, I turn either to John Busser or Morey Norkin. A collaboration between the two had to be hilarious, and it is. Somehow the agent for terrible Greek comic Cicero Lipschitz manages to get him a dream booking--at Caesar's Palace--the original one! But when they cancel him in favor of a young fiddler named Nero, he turns to the ancient world's best entertainment lawyer, Brad Shoenstein, who lets loose his greatest weapon, not The Kraken, but The Karen. Cicero's booking is restored and his appearance is a triumph. Read it and laugh.

When I want punny wordplay and quirky characters, I turn either to John Busser or Morey Norkin. A collaboration between the two had to be hilarious, and it is. Somehow the agent for terrible Greek comic Cicero Lipschitz manages to get him a dream booking--at Caesar's Palace--the original one! But when they cancel him in favor of a young fiddler named Nero, he turns to the ancient world's best entertainment lawyer, Brad Shoenstein, who lets loose his greatest weapon, not The Kraken, but The Karen. Cicero's booking is restored and his appearance is a triumph. Read it and laugh.

Who knew dust bunnies could get lonely? This story of how two of them found each other through the vagaries of a wafting breeze (while attempting to avoid the greasy area under the stove) is as sweet as it gets. It would be a fun challenge for actors to create the world of restricted movement Dawn Branch has in mind, and a delight for an audience to experience.

Take a farce, heighten the absurdity, and merge it with a soap opera, and you have Ian Donley's "Space Fanatics." By the time the superb full-circle final scene occurs, the play has kept the audience off balance with wild twists and turns, hilarious wordplay, and ever-changing relationships among the characters. It's an imaginative concept entertainingly realized.

The person in this monologue was well into adulthood before they discovered they had ADHD and realized why they did some of the things they did. As someone who was fifty years old before he was diagnosed with ADHD, I totally understand. Debra A. Cole is so good at getting at what makes people tick. This piece is just one more illustration of that talent.

A wonderful short work in which euphoria, regret, betrayal, and determination all make an appearance. I'll never forget one of the saddest sentences I've ever read: "I let him marry the wrong me." Grandmother comes fully alive in this most effective monologue for an older actor.

18,936 steps translates into 8.47 miles, the length Amelia walks around town as she waits for news whether her partner has survived his cancer surgery. No news can't possibly be good news, can it, so she naturally fears the worse. The tension heightens as the time passes ever so slowly. The emotions of that helpless, interminable waiting, will be familiar to a great many people. Another powerful work by Rachel Feeny-Williams.