Recommended by Donald E. Baker

In this gem of medical horror writing, Prillaman has distilled all the nervousness one might feel surrounding a visit to the doctor--all the anxiety and the fear and the apprehension-- into as unsettling a play as you'll ever find. When at my own next appointment, the doctor asks why my blood pressure is so high, I'll tell her it's "just a little Heartburn."

There are those who believe that every decision an individual makes changes the whole world. Chris finds out that all those individual decisions have produced cosmic gridlock and the world cannot move on until he makes one of the two (or three?) choices presented to him. Which does he choose? Brian Cern has produced a tense, intriguing, funny, memorable, mystical play with an ending guaranteed to leave you gasping.

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.

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.