Recommended by Rachael Carnes

Delightful! This monologue is a confection of words. It made my ears hurt, because even though I walk and talk and write all day, apparently, I don't use big words, or use words that make me think, and here's a whole bunch of them! And I'm no Shakespeare scholar but I *think* the writer has worked it out in iambic pentameter. Because why the hell not? Funny and fabulous, and apparently a cheeky series of monologues, this nutty piece makes me feel happy and happy for any actor who gets to chew on these consonants and syllables. Bravo!

A play about grief that will shatter you. Rios deftly builds this taut play — Not a sketch — An arc, a full story, in five brief but powerful pages. There's a communion here, a gravity that feels suspended, as though we, the audience, are caged along with this character's mourning, witness and bearing her loss. It's a play written in response to gun violence, but Rios smartly taps into the universality of losing someone. A poignant, visceral piece. So alive, even as it trains a bright light on death.

Honoring a past and a present and the uncertain future, by simply lighting a candle. Minigan imbues the light around this character with a hallowed space, a feeling of presence, the way we can pull someone up in our mind, if we allow ourselves to remember. This piece, in response to gun violence in places of worship, asks questions of faith, and of leadership, how the call to help or heal could be punctured by unspeakable horror. This play would be the point of departure in a community conversation on gun control.

Within ritual and gesture, Lawing helps this character find her way forward. There's a broken, aching quality, a questioning, and a hope, that pull dynamically in the teller. This piece offers incredible range for an actor, nuance and emotion and would be a terrific addition to a line-up of plays in response to gun violence.

A stunning monologue. Grady takes us on a dynamic journey, heartfelt and encompassing, infusing this poignant moment with humanity and — So rare in pieces in reaction to societal issues — Genuine humor. This piece would be an emotional anchor in a staging of plays against gun violence. What a gift.

This delightful play draws the reader in like a ghost story around a campfire. It's cheeky and fun, with a great little twist. Bramkamp's characters and creepy setting say everything about B&B's!

This one takes me back. A hilarious skewering of the visual-and-performance art world, Rushing exploits the kooky possibilities for all they're worth, uncovering fallacies and foibles and creating great fun. As someone who used to wrangle performance artists for a living — I so enjoyed this brilliant little send up! I wish I could find the person who ripped a hole in our theatre's brand-new cyc by losing control on her unicycle while painted head to toe in blue body paint whilst otherwise naked, and make her read it. Well done!

Oh my goodness, what a lovely piece of theatre! Ellen has written such a perfect portrayal of the relationship between a person and their furry companion. This just has everything. The dialogue is easy and brisk, the physicality would be so much fun for actors to portray. It's a whole little world, and in this tiny frame, the writer opens up everything. I just adore it! This approaches life and death in a new, profound and utterly humane (or maybe canine?) way. Only one problem: I'm crying in public again, this time at a coffee shop on my lunch break.

This play continues to haunt me, ever since I read it nearly a year ago. Beautiful and lush, particular and universal. Antone nestles such dynamic emotion in these pages, a piece in response to gun violence that creates theatrical possibilities and wonder, even within the saddest subjects.

This play has so much inventory for a trio of actors to unpack - and would be thrilling onstage. Zaffarano's lively dialogue has a terrifically real quality, this seems like a family, but the setting, the situation, jumps off the page, and the reveals - no spoilers - carry a huge range of emotion, from confusion to anger to resilience. I admire this writer's penchant for well-crafted stories, saying so much in just a few pages. SHELLY offers a wonderful opportunity for an older actor to shine.