Recommended by Rachael Carnes

This play was a big hit at the 2019 Samuel French Off Off Broadway Festival. Surprising and fun, a perfect two-hander, exploring our increasing dependency on our gizmos and devices, our *relationships* - literally - with technology. Pipes' mines the set-up for all its comedic gold, and delivers a short play at-once hilarious, and kinda-sorta horrifying, when we think about the intricacies of balancing technology's role in our lives. The production I saw featured Pipes herself in the role of CEE, a character that would be a delight for any actor, with lots of opportunities for creative sound design, too.

A highlight of the 2019 Samuel French Off Off Broadway Festival! Hilarious and bright, such a great concept, so well done! Hirsch's team executed the play beautifully, but ANY festival of tens would be lucky to have this one on their stage. It's accessible and warm, with touching relationships and lovely reveals. It's fun on its feet, and is a lovely read, too. A ten minute gem! Looking forward to reading more from this writer.

A sly send-up of workplace culture, which is absurd to begin with, that masks a harrowing conversation about the erosion of rights and the uncertainty of a shaky future with an orange clown in office. Cox gets to the heart of gaslighting, the way communities can be corrupted by creeping fear and anxieties, until their disconcerting day-to-day becomes "perfectly normal". I saw a production of this play at the 2019 Samuel French Off Off Broadway Festival, and the audience was delightedly along for the high-rolling, funny/terrifying ride.

Hahaha! This is the play for a Musical Theatre nerd to nerd out! I love the way Bicknell interweaves song lyrics with language. I am constantly quoting plays and musicals at my day job, i.e. Sondheim Syndrome, and everyone hates me for it, so this play felt like good therapy. Glad I'm not alone! A terrific contribution to the canon of short plays about office environments (where we all spend so much time) and the perfect addition to any festival of short comedies. The actor playing BOBBY will have a field day!

I saw this play at the 2019 Samuel French Off Off Broadway Festival and it is absolutely stunning onstage. Now, reading the play, I'm moved even further into the emotional arc, and into the brilliant craft that supports this heartbreaking narrative. It's such a vital, important piece, with lightness and warmth, and deep, spreading despair. A play that's both theatrically engaging and politically relevant. Highly recommend.

This lovely, funny, engaging play pulled a riveted audience right along at a presentation at the 2019 Samuel French Festival. Heinze's delightful dialogue crackles with energy, in this comedy with tremendous contemporary meaning. JASON is a dream role for any young actor. A touching, fun, approachable play. Check it out!

Sharp and funny, exploring timely subjects with a delightfully acerbic wit, Berryman's contemporary conversation reveals layers of nuance and meaning. I saw the piece in the 2019 Samuel French Off Off Broadway Festival, and the engaged audience was with the piece every step of the way.

A mystery unfolds in this darkly gothic period piece. Hodge’s cinematic narrative bends around corners, peeks into secrets. There’s a lovely pacing of the information reveal, reminding one of the dark novels of the era the play portrays. This one would offer lots of design elements to play with, through projection, sound, light. Imagistic, stylish -- yet irrefutably human.

After reading through once, I’m back to this play, re-reading it, remarking on its subtleties, the way these characters carry grief and mourning with them, tenderly holding space to grow and develop, in response to loss. There’s a lot of terrific storytelling packed into these short pages, remarkably crafted, depicting a uniquely specific, yet universally accessible, moment in time.

A funny, farcical piece, with plenty of zigs and zags for actors to play with. Bright language and punchy rhythm would make this one a winner for any comedy festival.