Recommended by Robert Weibezahl

This well-crafted short play beautifully captures many unspoken aspects of enduring marriages as well as the current realities of aging while wrestling with demons from the past. Jack and Jill are both vividly drawn, very realistic characters. A great script for older actors looking to dig deep.

In this timely dark comedy, Norkin succeeds beautifully at the daunting challenge of battling the worst aspects of our present reality with unexpected humor, in the end leaving us with much needed hope for the future.

A moving monologue about one soldier’s memories of D-Day that captures both the rallying spirit of the last “good” war and the realities of being a young man at war, facing discomfort, uncertainty, and fear.

An irreversible tragedy brought on by an act of teenage foolishness propels Cole’s deeply emotional short play. A beautiful opportunity for two female actors of two very different ages to interact on a very honest level and explore nuances of feelings and realities beyond their characters’ control.

Minigan brilliantly mashes together nearly every noir fiction trope and pop culture Christmas reference you can think of in this hilarious mystery spoof. A welcome addition to any holiday shorts festival.

A very funny play that harkens back to the classic Broadway comedies of yore, but with a quirky vibe and modern-day twists that only Arianna Rose could bring to it. Pregnancy tests, fertility treatments, acrobatic positions, a nosy Jewish Wiccan neighbor, a skeptical Catholic scientist husband, pickles, the New York Times Sunday crossword, and a black-and-white from Zabar’s? Who could ask for anything more? Read The Ripple Effect. Laugh along with The Ripple Effect. Produce The Ripple Effect..

A discarded clock, loveseat, and a piano come to life, bickering as they await their individual fates at an estate sale. These anthropomorphized objects are deftly portrayed by playwright Williams with equal measures of wit and pathos. He imbues them with tender meaning that transcends pat nostalgia, and also makes us laugh. This is a short, sentimental play that has great staging possibilities. A clever and singular premise brought to life.

This compelling time capsule of a moment perfectly captures the isolation of lockdown at the height of the pandemic. But, it remains so relevant still, as a beautiful portrayal of the necessity for friendship in our increasingly isolated and fraught times. Paul Donnelly has written a play that is deeply humane and broadly universal in its sentiments. Bravo.

A taut little procedural in the beloved British murder mystery tradition, driven by a band of well-drawn, idiosyncratic police investigators and capped with a clever solution. The classical music world setting is a delight. CONCERTO would be a pitch perfect curtain opener or a welcome “movement” in an evening of plays about murder and/or music.

A compelling short play, based on the story of a real-life “circus freak,” that sensitively explores penetrating questions about agency, resilience, exploitation, voyeurism, delusion, and truth. I listened to a sharply-performed audio version done by Theatrical Shenanigans which underscored the humanness of the work. Much to think about here.