Recommended by Charles Scott Jones

It’s tough to pull off a long three-character conversation and Greg Mandryk does a superb job of spinning this trialogue. SANDY'S GIFT gets off to a fast start in the midst of Trey and Curtis playing 80’s detective show trivia, which is so comically believable as arcane and goofy as those shows seem in retrospect. And it is wonderful foreshadowing. I love the device so much of Sandy denying that she’s psychic just before she says something psychic. Ingenious play that will keep you up late at night and will make you want to read more Mandryk!

In the context of the play’s action, the word “partake” cracked me up. I love the in-and-out Hendricks martini that Emma orders and the olives prompting the playful dirty talk. Christopher’s discomfort at the whole arrangement keeps you guessing that there’s more going on than seems apparent. BEAUTIFULLY SO by Brian Cern proves that it’s still sexy to be middle-aged and twisting the night away.

Love the choice of two passengers on a plane as a setting for a stage play, the names Martha and Jazz, and the precise and mood-enhancing description of the time. And it’s a great plot device to have Martha going through her purse looking for ear plugs and coming up with something that it is quite the opposite. Dominica Plummer’s THE LADY WITH THE LAPTOP is a thriller that keeps you going all the way to the climatic finish!

Incredible how obsessively this play focusses on the mysterious contents of a couple’s suitcase. I really admire how Brigid Amos utilizes the husband Ron, his out-of-touch nature, to push the suspense, and that the wife Beth remembers better and that she is the impediment. A third character John arrives at just the right time and the story turns on the promise of monetary reward. THE SUITCASE is a mini haunted house that will keep you guessing until the end and beyond.

The suspense Ryan Kaminski creates in THE PENANCE is extremely well done. I think what drew me in is the sympathetic protagonist Anne, her addiction, and the mystery she brings to the confessional. It's cool how one twist - just as I was grappling with how it would play out - is superseded by the next twist that I didn't see coming at all. A classic noir tale for the stage that will keep the audience on the edge of their seats.

Hilarious and horrifying at the same time is MY EMOTIONS ARE TOO BIG FOR THIS ROOM. I admire among many things - the historical implications - that the room is a kind of a big boxy corset for Peggy’s emotions and it keeps squeezing closer and closer. And, at the same time, Kati Frazier's concise masterpiece feels symbolically true in the way Beckett’s short plays do - that society is the room and we are Peggy. Would love to see this staged!

An old restaurant adage: Never insult your server before you get your food. LINDA’s DONUTS by Surrey Houlker demonstrates why - as Steph and Leo workers at a donut shop encounter an obnoxious, overly-familiar regular Marsha. Very admirably, this play nails how morale at a low-paying food service job can go from horrible to worse. Someone with a job shouldn’t have to live out of their car, as Steph does. And I love Leo’s line, “Please don’t leave me alone with this lady.” The ending is powerful. Fine work addressing one of our society's big problems.

The post-coital dialogue of mature lovers Evelyn and Virgil is quite a balancing act of romance and realities, love and complications, a cat that likes tuna salad vs. a room full of rocks. WHAT BAGGAGE by Kim E. Ruyle is witty and very funny even when the subject grows more and more serious. I love Evelyn’s naughty pillow talk and Virgil’s rock-hounding predilection. Great play for seniors of all ages!

Coyote. Wild dogs. A feral cat. The resolve of Chelsea. Her sister Madison’s patient concern. Perhaps the unspoken tension is the need for both thirty-something women to go FERAL. Ross Tedford Kendall’s thoughtful and extraordinarily realistic conversation is a wonderful example of how less is more. Fine work!

So wisely and breathtakingly theatrical HOT BLOOD SUNDAE does best only what writing for the stage can do. And it goes beyond that too. Aly Kantor writes stunningly natural and intimate dialogue between two complimentary and complementary women, Jess and Bex. Their talk makes you feel like the luckiest voyeur under the moon. The plot arc and time constraint are so thrillingly subtle because the friendship is so deep. Love the line “Wet dream meets nightmare.” And the howling starts at the perfect time. Here's a play that digs into what it means to be human.