Recommended by Robert Weibezahl

In a mere five minutes or so, Levine captures so much: the indelible relationship between siblings, how memories are shared and shaped, the blended joy and sadness that can entwine those memories, and even the mystery our parents remain. Poignant.

Williams, admired for his realism, ventures into a slightly more conceptual realm with this heartfelt, autobiographical one-act. Tracing a long-term love relationship, with all of its attendant pleasures and pains, the play taps its two characters’ memories to assemble a truth. Of course, memory can never be relied upon for the truth, but as Tim O’Brien has written, sometimes “story truth” is truer than “happening truth.” Williams plays with these ideas, often injecting wit where rancor could have been just as legitimate a choice. The result is a thought-provoking piece of meta-theater that draws the audience in.

The title of this dark (and at times darkly funny) two-hander could not be more ironic--it's impossible not to squirm in your seat while witnessing this therapy session, wondering what new discomfort awaits. Plumridge writes brilliantly pared-down dialogue that is as real as it is revealing. There is so much (intentionally) left unsaid and left to explore for actors and audiences alike.

All playwrights “live” with their characters, and who among us hasn’t had characters usurp the play and take the story in new, unexpected directions? Plumridge taps that universal dilemma to great comic effect in this sharp and funny short play. The dialogue zings and the characters are hilarious. FORGOTTEN would be a great ice breaker performed at any playwriting conferences.

SIMPLE BLACK MARKS is anything but simple. In just a minute or so, Williams (through his teacher character) expertly unpacks ageless passions about books, learning, and the art of teaching which, like good theatre, is meant to illuminate and agitate rather than inculcate. Bravo!

This memorable monologue packs extra punch because beneath the surface of its heartbreaking revelations are truly haunting issues of fathers and sons perpetuating the cycle of masking and suppressing true feelings, as well as damaging notions of manhood.

A timely history lesson wrapped in a compelling ghost story. Martineau beautifully captures and delineates the distinctive voices of his youthful characters, even managing to inject welcome humor into a very serious subject. This is a perfect play for college or high school drama programs: entertaining, instructive, and sure to spark lively discussion.

Just because you're paranoid, doesn't mean they're not to get you! Feriend twists many tropes in clever ways in this delightful examination of marriage, infidelity, envy, mid-life crises...and milk shakes. And she gives us two endings from which to choose, each of which, despite the seemingly same conclusion, colors the play and the fate of the marriage in very different ways.

Beautifully capturing the voices of two teenage girls, this comedy also captures something more elusive: the conflicts and contradictions of being a teen and balancing the often confusing emotions and impulses that define those fraught years.

A delightful short play that beautifully underscores the dirty little secret of the film business, both then and now: the unsung, invaluable contribution of women who kept (keep) things together behind the scenes. With all it theatrical elements—offstage voices! Singing and dancing!—the world of early moviemaking comes to vibrant life. I would love to see this performed—and what a great role for the right actress!