Recommended by Susan Middaugh

Monica has captured what it's like for women to offer unsolicited advice to a pregnant woman. Oy vey! Nope!

The wacking of fly swatters adds physical comedy to this short play about an American couple on a trip to experience the local charms of Mexico --- for a reason. Thank you, Vivian.

Loved this line: "I'm proud of you. Even if you're sleeping in my basement." Lainie captures the nervousness of job interviews and the expectations she attributes to her mother. Clever idea to have Joey wear different kinds of masks.

Tension and conflict from the outset. Rachel keeps us guessing. Move over, Philip Marlowe.

Imaginative retelling of the story of Medusa from her point of view. Crisp dialogue. I loved the reference to "temple etiquette" and the classes they hold about it. I saw a reading of this play at the 41st annual William Inge Festival in Independence, KS. Brava, Lizzy!

A play with simple props, easy to stage, and which offers tremendous impact. There is inherent conflict in the situation between a dictatorial nurse and the patient's male lover who wants to visit him one last time. What a commentary! It hits us over the head not by blunt force but with a stuffed animal and a biohazard waste can. Economical and efficient dialogue. Bravo, Paul!

This is a good comedic play for a woman who's a quick-change artist and who can adopt different voices in a short period of time. I loved the bit about the nurse wearing a nun's habit and singing her lines in Gregorian chant; this was just one persona the nurse adopts. James cleverly refers to HIPAA rules as hippo rules. A running conflict pits Vernon's desire to know the outcome of his surgery and the nurse's refusal to tell him; that's for the doctor who never comes.

This is a wise and funny play with a poignant ending about a contemporary issue viewed by 2 women of different generations. The conflict is natural and plausible. Madison, a 25 year old dating coach with a trendy first name, is super confident, up on the latest statistics about how many swipes it takes to find a match. Like many successful sales people, she even offers a money back guarantee to Carol, a 62 year old divorcee. The play offers a number of surprises that kept me engaged. I loved the word "thruple" and Carol's response to it. Brava, Mindy.

I loved the line, the police "arrested me for Mopery and Attempted Gawk." The me is Sputnik Monroe, a white wrestler who integrated the sport despite strenuous opposition in the south. A little-known true story that offers lots of surprises and heroics. I saw this play at the 41st Annual William Inge Festival and championed it.

A deft commentary on social media and parenthood--only this time it's the mother that's mugging for the camera -- to her teenage daughter's chagrin. What's more, the mom is a pastor, trying hard to project the perfect image of her and her family. I heard this play read at the 41st Annual William Inge Festival. Well done, Lainie.