Recommended by Rebecca Kane

Move over, Search Party -- there's a new thriller in town, also with biting humor, cleverly modern themes, and a killer cast (in more ways than one). The way Peter Fenton wove the already high stakes world of publishing into a vicious murder plot, while never losing the thread of love throughout, shows ability to flesh out a script like no other. Fenton is clearly at the top of his game here, and I can picture this script knocking it out of the park on Netflix too.

Had the pleasure of taking in this play through the Epiphanies festival at Wild Imaginings. Osmundsen has the incredible ability to command empathy for his characters from just seconds of seeing them on stage. The reveal of what is "out there" is devastating, but there is a beautiful thread of hope for these characters throughout, and I'm beyond excited to take in more of this playwrights' work to seek more of wonderful emotional layering like that.

This play is one of the realest, most relevant I've read in a long time -- and I wish that weren't the case. Lainie Vansant does an incredible job capturing the fear people face constantly working jobs like these, and she manages to weave in the beautiful dramatic tension of an everyday family about to face a huge change. Not to mention the dialogue has a lovely natural flow to it. I feel like I already know these characters, and I pray everything works out for them.

I love this piece for how it manages to be so many things at once -- hopeful yet tragic, sad but loving, and straightforward yet layered. The structure is creative and lends itself to some truly dynamic staging. Miscarriage is such an unfortunately common (yet not discussed enough) situation, so I imagine bearing witness to Russell's beautifully told story will bring comfort to many. Looking forward to seeing that happen on (many) stages very soon!

I marvel at Mindy's ability to flesh out not just a character who isn't even here, but her relationships with others over such a short period of time. Not only that, but her ability to have them tell informative stories that don't feel like exposition -- rather like I'm part of this church group myself. On top of all of that, the ending made me gasp! Excited to see this become a fixture in ten minute play festivals soon!

This play is delightfully unexpected in so many ways. Daniel Prillaman sets it up rather brilliantly, as it takes no time at all to figure out where we are, what's happening, and how this situation would normally be terrifying, but his truly innovative take on a buddy comedy puts us at just enough ease to find endless moments of shocked laughter. The characters may be named "Hat" and "Glasses", but make no mistake -- they're fully developed and so much more than their clever (if tragically vague) monikers. I can't wait to see them in person on stage ASAP!

The gripping set-up pulled me in, the interesting story kept me, and the fast, smooth dialogue moved the whole thing along at impressive speed. I couldn't stop reading once I started; I was so desperate to find out what happened to Abigail, who felt like a new, interesting friend by the end. Speaking of the ending -- goosebumps!!

This is an incredibly unique piece with lots of room for creativity in design and staging. I'm so impressed with the big ideas, layered issues, and clear imagery that are accomplished in such a short amount of time. Last but not least, I imagine this as an absolute playground for actors; I can't wait to see so many different combinations of five stellar performers bring these animals and interactions to life.

Love this monologue -- it starts out with a bang, ends with a perfect bite, and still has potential for thought and reflection. And since this all occurs in such a short amount of time, I can def picture this as a solid audition piece. On top of all that, it's timely as hell. I hope I see more from this character but if this monologue is all I get, I'll still be happy!

Everything you want in a short horror play. It's funny, filled with dread, and that dramatic turn is just devastating. Besides hitting those classic elements of a spooky story, it's also just an incredibly smooth read, and really reflects Daniel Prillaman's writing rhythm as a whole.