Recommended by Robert Weibezahl

Pity the teen whose entire social worth and self-esteem hinge on text communication. An arcane typo from your boyfriend could trigger an emotional tsunami. That’s what happens to Jackie, the alternately sharp and shattered fifteen-year-old who delivers Arianna Rose’s high-octane monologue. In just one minute, Jackie runs the gamut of emotions with hilarity and heart. Though the technology has changed, the hormonal histrionics of teen angst are eternal. A great piece for a young actor who wants to show off her acting chops.

Death and funerals can bring out the best or worst in families. Sisters, Angela and Laura, display both traits in this subtle and pointed short play. Restrained expression masks a long-buried affection; A true sense of concern lurks beneath the prickly conversation. Every moment rings true. Two great parts for a pair of mature actresses.

Nick and Lauren are like a million couples: she’s overworked, corralling and chauffeuring the kids, while juggling graduate school, too; he’s frustrated by the changes in their marriage, yet a little less help around the house than he could be. But from the expert pen of Marj O’Neill-Butler, don’t expect the pat outcome. I CHOOSE YOU is an endearing short love story that shakes up all the tropes and keeps hope burning bright. Perfect for Valentine’s Day festivals.

The person we were at 16 or 23 or 49 lives within our present self, pestering us about what we did wrong in our lives or might have done differently. Arianna Rose gleefully plays with this reality in this very clever and frequently hilarious short play: a dream-dialogue between a woman of 61, hesitant to dive back into the murky waters of the dating pool (in the dream logic guise of an actual pool), and her younger incarnations, both callow and jaded. A pitch-perfect script for a range of female actors/voices. Read it. Relate to it. Produce it.

Why we write; what we write; who we write? This charming two-hander is a puzzle box dialogue between a writer and his character that explores the act of creation, what is real and what is imagined, and how it can be impossible to shed the impulse to write, no matter how hard one may try. Every writer will relate to this on-the-money scenario, which Williams brings to life with humor and head-scratching moments of familiarity.

Head on over to the Gateway Cafe for some good grub and a reality check. Williams repeatedly undermines audience expectations in this witty and thoughtful look at "America" today. As he targets the duplicity – triplicity? – of our elected officials, he reminds us that we mustn’t judge folks by our preconceived perceptions of what they should be. This large-cast short is a perfect fit for festivals in both red states and blue.

In just a few minutes, Bruce Karp takes us on a roller coaster of emotions – grief, resignation, hope, joy, disappointment, and then, in the end, acceptance (with another dash of hope for good measure). This brother and sister’s shared experience will speak to anyone who has sorted through the detritus of a life as well as anyone who has placed their hopes on the shaky good fortune of chance. A lighthearted comedy that provokes full-hearted thought: a rare thing indeed!

This is an extraordinarily powerful monologue—immediate and visceral. Rose digs deeply into the stark truths of pain and grief—both that which can be relieved and that which will never completely go away. With a daring and expert use of the second person, Rose gives Thea a voice that speaks directly to the audience while addressing herself. I cannot not imagine there is an actor out there who would NOT want to perform this piece. Heartbreaking and haunting.

This is a stunning work (in both senses of the word). Rose mixes dystopian tropes and historical realities from past fascist eras with Brechtian assuredness. A grave warning in our disturbing times that will leave audiences troubled, thinking, and galvanized. Produce this play!

GOING HOME is an at-once tender and fierce short two-hander. As a married couple faces a debilitating stroke and the life changes it promises to bring to their loving relationship, they bravely venture beyond sentimentality to a place of honesty about expectations, anger, and loss. Arianna Rose crafts a beautiful story that is both particular and universal, transcending clichés. Audiences will both laugh and choke up, and actors will love investing their souls into this nuanced, heartrending script.