Recommended by Lindsay Partain

Oh man! This play!!! Salsbury's take on the future of America is absolutely riveting. After this piece was read at the 2018 Midwest Dramatist Conference the room lit up-- we could have discussed her characters for hours! Gorgeous insight into 2 incredibly strong-willed characters. Either role would be an absolute feast for any actor.

I love it when I find plays that totally take me by surprise. Brewer peels back the layers of these characters so well and really dives into what humans are capable of doing when they feel they have no other choice. That twist will leave you picking up your jaw off the floor! Deliciously sick.

First and foremost, Kevin King has such an excellent grasp of the language in this piece-- it was such a pleasure to really dive into the rich colloquialisms of this community. Watching this play I felt like I'd known these women forever! So much of the conversation just swimming around Southern niceties and the things that are said in between the lines. The balance between the moments of humor and gut wrenching realities of poverty and drug abuse is absolutely stellar--an excellently crafted piece.

I had the pleasure of seeing a reading of this play at the 2018 Midwest Dramatists Conference. What continues to haunt me are the intensely intimate stage directions-- the beautiful moments in the unspoken words. Kinnally reminds us in just 10-minutes that sometimes, if you want to bring people out of the dark you have to take yourself there too. Gorgeous, just gorgeous.

I had the pleasure of seeing this piece read at the 2018 Midwest Dramatists Conference. The Drumhellers of Bloody Dick Creek will have you rethinking everything you thought you knew about family dramas. Grotesque, visceral, and stuffed full of dark humor; this is a piece I never got ahead of and has an ending so chilling it gave me goosebumps!

I love this play!!! A story new to the stage but familiar to anyone who loves the horror genre, Who Goes Home is a truly haunting piece that sticks with you long after you’ve read it. A refreshing take on the possession genre, Buck intricately weaves a story of love, friendship, and the cost of ultimate knowledge in a mindful and beautiful way. It is unlike anything I’ve ever read or seen before. Read it- Produce it- See it.

Easily the sweetest play I've ever read featuring a sock monkey! In just a few pages we learn so much about this couple-- who they are together and separately, and how they both process tragedy. Hageman has mastered the stitching of new wounds while offering delightful (painful?) pun battles and a window into a very hard and relateable moment for this couple. This piece is an emotional journey that will tear at your heart strings--make you put your hands on your hips and snap your fingers saying "oh-no-he-didn't"--and then turn around and tickle your sides. READ. PRODUCE. GO.

Asher has found the one thing that duct tape can't fix. This short piece sent shivers down my spine! In just 4 pages Wyndham has pinned down the childish, selfish, and disrespectful behavior backing a broken administration. It's positively evil, it'll make you wanna jump in your shower and scrub your skin, it'll make you dig further into your couch cushions for every spare nickel, dime, and quarter you can send to RAICES. Disturbing and packed with a punch, SUMMER (CONCENTRATION) CAMP COLORING CLUB would certainly set the stage for an evening of Protest Plays.

This monologue is so so sweet! I know so many middle schoolers that would love to perform this. A perfect piece for competitions, festivals, or auditions— it’s funny, confident, romantic, and kind, highlighting what romance and dating means from the lens of a 12 year old boy. Asher is an absolute genius when it comes to stepping into a character and writing exactly what that character knows. And this kid? He’s the master. This monologue? Extraordinary.

It's a world where only the married get to reproduce-- and a terrifying glimpse at what we could be. The wants and the desires of these two women are so simple-- a life of that is their own, a right to their bodies, to be sexual. A deeply tragic and thought provoking piece, BIG BELLY would be gold at any theatre festival. Add this to your list immediately!