Recommended by Susan Middaugh

I can understand why Connie's short play has had a long production history. Conflict from the very first line of the play. A good mixture of seriousness and humor. For example, Judy describes her out of body experience by saying, "I kept thinking,jeez, my roots look bad. I really need a dye job." And she's such a drunk: "My cat even left me." Sobering, without being prescriptive.

There's an element of surprise from page one which kept me leaning in. One minute dry, scientific Mason is explaining to Gil what happens if you need to go to the bathroom in space and later he's quoting a bit of poetry. When Mason offers Gil a moment of hope at the end of the play, it's a pleasant surprise. Spare dialogue, a short play that requires careful listening.

Excellent title for this gripping play about two women who used to be friends and now are on opposite sides of a war. Neither is free from guilt or memory of Marty's treatment of Lisa. Hageman ratchets up the tension on every page so that you wonder where it's going. But in the final reckoning, they still have a modicum of feeling for one another.

Very funny play about an exceptionally smart 12 year old Girl Scout and a not-so-smart male pothead who likes Girl Scout cookies. He tries repeatedly to have her accept various forms of payment from him -- without success. She's a tough cookie who offers up a nice twist at the end. This play represents a good example of what NYC playwright Jeffrey Sweet recommends -- negotiating over an object.

Excellent. Although heralded as a leader of the suffragist's movement, Alice Paul exposes her limitations in this challenging encounter with African American Ida B. Wells. In this case, politics trumps inclusion.

The contrast between Desiree and Mariel contributes to the fun, so does Desiree's being clueless about camping, the Everglades and even s'mores. Nice twist at the end.

Very clever play, great dialogue. Says Eve to Adam: "I'm not a fan of apples." Eve and Jane, the women in this play, know what they want in comparison to Adam, who is befuddled. Unlike Luce, the snake, Eve has all the good lines. Amusing twist on what we learned from Genesis.

Mother feels superior to her daughter Kelly's boyfriend Curtis. She shows disdain for the man, then wonders why Kelly slams the door on her as she and he are leaving. Heartbreaking, sad. Christine uses an interesting theatrical device -- freezing 2 of the 3 characters -- when the mother wants to share her opinions of him with the audience but not Kelly and Curtis.

The tension between the two dancers starts at the top of the play. The jibes go back and forth, swirling as in a dance between a couple of prize fighters.

Very amusing premise and role reversal. Got me from the top -- the sole caveman is sewing while the two cavewomen are gathering wood and chopping meat. Martha turns things upside down. For example, instead of making love, June and Richard rub their feet together and he sighs with pleasure. Funny lines like this one which described Jesus: "he was a magician who parted the sea and let millions of Microsoft workers pass through on their way to lunch."