Recommended by Donald E. Baker

A heartwarming little play about how sibling relationships both change and stay the same as time goes by, and how holiday traditions are handed down even after those who originated them have passed on. One minute to read, a lifetime to remember.

Stephen's vision of economic utopia makes the uber-rich class murderously angry, so he has arranged for a bodyguard to accompany him to a Congressional hearing. But the person who shows up is not the one he was expecting. Who is she, really? Soucy has skillfully packed a lot of idealism and suspense into this short play. And the ending is heart-stopping. Great work.

Klan dominance of Indiana in the 1920s lends itself to drama. (I've written two plays on the subject myself.) McBurnette-Andronicos has taken recognizable personalities and events from that era and completely reworked them into a brand-new story centering on the Klan affiliations (or not) of five fictional women in a small-town boarding house. The play is dramatic and emotional and the tension keeps ratcheting up to an explosive conclusion. The Indiana local color is spot on and the youngest woman's flapper slang is hilarious. Great work with juicy roles for women of all ages. (Caution: don't eat the pie.)

As a resident of Myrtle Beach, I could hardly resist this title. Pauline and Esther are best friends vacationing together. After five years of widowhood, Pauline is ready to move on to new adventures. After seven years of widowhood, Esther is not. But after Esther downs a gimlet and a potent cocktail called a Myrtle Beach Sunrise; after much prodding from Pauline; and after obvious interest from an attractive gentleman, perhaps Esther is finally ready to leave her old life behind and open herself up to new experiences. A sweet story with great roles for senior women.

For the dysfunctional Robbins family, older son Henry is the lynchpin, the one everyone has relied on to try to hold things together. But he has had that role since he was ten years old, and after nearly 30 years the pressure, and the secret he's been carrying all that time, have left him emotionally damaged and addicted to pills. When he finally breaks and the secret is revealed, the effects are devastating. This is a play with excellent roles and a heart-wrenching story that will stay with you for a very long time. Excellent work.

Of course John Busser would take a metaphoric expression literally and then write a comedy about it. Suffice it to say, it isn't the fast food that's being bitten, and the meat that's being demanded is not on The Meat Shack's usual menu. The three roles should be great fun to play, and the special effects crew is going to have a field day with this one.

Wow. There is such a wonderful twist at the end of this little breakup play. Well, not so wonderful for Jeremy and, possibly in the near future, for John either. Who, besides Lee R. Lawing, knew billboards could be omens of impending doom? And don't miss looking at the page AFTER "End of Play."

Early on, it becomes clear what sort of "date" this is, but the discovery of what happened and how the two characters are connected is emotionally devastating. A fine addition to the growing body of plays on this most important subject.

Unfortunately, antisemitism is once again rearing its ugly head in this country, but in this important play, Morey Norkin reminds us it is nothing new. He shines light on a little-known episode during the Civil War and cleverly does so in the form of readers theater so that no production need be concerned about the expense of a large cast or lavish sets or costumes. The message is paramount here and the play needs to be performed widely. Producers, please don't look away from this one.

It should be the perfect scenario for a one-night stand: Jeremy is Eli's type, Eli is Jeremy's type, the hotel room is nice, and the bed has crisp white cotton sheets. But then Eli brings out the black light, looking for bed stains and bed bugs, which Jeremy finds to be a "bone killer." Nonetheless, as Jeremy discovers Eli's history of unfortunate sexual partners and of letting his insecurities get in his way, he decides Eli is worth the extra effort and becomes exactly the gently encouraging partner Eli needs. I hope their relationship has a future.