Recommended by Rachael Carnes

This play is so weird and so funny! The audience loved it at Seattle's FunHouse Anthology — A real crowd pleaser, with hilarious dialogue and big, broad physicality. Lots of fun scene work for three game actors. Bruce!

Wow! What a journey. Such a terrific sci fi short! Sickles work here is so compelling and fun, with zippy language bouncing around a strongly-defined world of the imagination. Reading this play, I had that spooky feeling like listening to a story when you're a kid. Sickles' writerly voice is strong and clear - and my mind filled in all the Milky Way, right there on the bare stage. This play would be a DREAM to produce - for actors, directors and designers alike. Beam me up!

I'm stunned, once again, by Diaz-Marcano's pitch-perfect humor and powerful subtext. Reading this script, I can't help but feel like the incredible characters and situations flow so freely from the writer's vivid imagination, clever capacity and deep empathy. I just love this piece, which is both relevant and timeless, and redolent with this playwright's boundless energy for big, bold ideas and delightful, delicious details. Happy Holidays. ;)

A gut-wrenching piece, exceptional in its crafting. With language that says everything in just a few words, relentless rhythm and an exchange of emotions that run a gamut I've rarely seen in such a short play. The audience for this at Seattle's Funhouse Anthology was riveted, hanging on every word.

Smart, sensitive and *feminist* — This beautiful play for young audiences resonates with clarity of purpose. I'm so glad to see this example of how to use a large cast, investing each role with interest and motivation, while keeping an eye on the objectives and the dramaturgical support that ultimately make a good play great. This is just a great play! I was introduced to Zibart's work at the 2018 Inge Festival, and her voice as a playwright is unique, balanced and compelling.

A magical ode to the biggest grief imaginable, this creative play explores the boundaries between and among the present banalities and the tremors and uncertainty that losing a child could inculcate. Romero smartly dances among seemingly disparate threads, weaving a wonderfully enchanting story. I like and appreciate the space for movement and choreography, used sparingly but to great effect.

A delightful romp into the anguish of writer's block. Where is the Muse?? And if she *does* bother to show up, what if she then makes an untimely and hasty exit to go get fresh batteries? Middleton's charming piece resounds with self-deprecating humor, piling on the problems to stentorian heights. Farce can be tricky - many attempts seem ham-fisted and forced. But not this. Middleton's energy and command build to a natural crescendo that is delightfully daffy and totally spot-on. This loving nod to writing itself would be a great addition to your comedy festival.

This is such a treasure. A revelation! Just when you think you've seen the funnest, zaniest, most heartfelt and real ideas from Wyndham, he challenges himself to make meaning from nonsense, from the flotsam and jetsam of everyday living. If you're a new playwright, read this to see how ideas percolate and develop. And if you're a seasoned veteran, read this to remember why going to the well is always a gift. I'd love to see this onstage, start to finish - every single word. There's something happening in this play that's so new and fresh, I'm just blown away.

When a writer has the capacity to walk the razor's edge between naturalism and poetry, it takes your breath away. That's what happened as I read this piece by Lewis - With two characters struggling and reconciling, and a setting so real, you can feel it. This short play is transporting and timeless.

Confident and sensitive, this historical play dips below the surface, subsumed by dreams, and then effortlessly rises to stare hard at the past, which Diamond points out, hasn't ever left us. Cleverly constructed, this one-act offers creative opportunities for actors and designers alike.