Recommended by Philip Middleton Williams

As one of the men in this story reminds us, Hollywood is the dream factory. Not only do they bring fantasies to the screen, they create a world where the truth is colorized to match what they sell: fantasy heterosexual loves and lives. Gilbert/Burt and Ned and their love for each other is doomed from the first moment, but the way Robert Weibezahl shows us, they are doing their heart's best in a world where they can't be themselves. A heart-breaking story beautifully told.

A powerful element of Sam Heyman's writing is his ability to encompass the emotional responses of his characters into more than just words. They become a part of the place, and his plays evoke vivid imagery so that the audience is swept up in all of it. "home wear hart" uses this to great effect and the world he shoves us into and the story of these six souls trying to survive becomes more than just a test of wills. They held me from the start to the last moment.

As an avid birder, seeing this mating dance of two California condors was a treat both as a watcher and a fan of Paul Braverman's plays. The gentle humor and pure choreography when Harry met Sally (a coincidental title, I'm sure) plays out like one of the best rom-coms that also invokes a touch of miraculous genesis. Bringing humanity to characters is one of the many aspects of this playwright's gifts, and it shows up so well in this lovely play.

Even in a staged reading at the Valdez Theatre Conference 2026, this hilarious camp show screams "Yasss Queen!" Daniel Emlyn-Jones takes us on a fun-and-pun filled tour of the afterlife with all the characters you know and live from Dante's story and drags - in the best meaning of the word - along with him. The imagination goes wild and the sharp tongues lash out in rapid hell-fire energy. I cannot wait to see this fully done up in costume and lights. Bring it to Florida!

I'm sure there are those who will take umbrage at the way B.Z. Florida depicts our feline overlords, but there's a great deal of truth in this short and edgy comedy that had the audience at the Valdez Theatre Conference in 2026 laughing and cringing at the the thought of the possibility that the truth about cats is proffered here. Meowch!

This has all the makings of a screwball comedy with great characters, snappy and smart dialogue, and surprising twists not unlike "The Philadelphia Story." The reading at the Valdez Theatre Conference in 2026 gave us all of the goods and hilarity, and it will delight audiences everywhere.

Craig Houk may call "Smoking Fags on a Rooftop" a playlet, but don't let the tightness and length of this story fool you into thinking it's a light little piece. It has strong and well-defined characters, a compelling and powerful time frame, and smart and insightful dialogue, and with the brilliant casting and directing as seen at the Valdez Theatre Conference in 2026, it made me think a lot longer than the the moments seen and heard. Great work.

It's never easy to tell a story about a current and controversial subject such as school safety, but Jason Peck has given us a very compelling and powerful lesson in how to do it. As seen at the Valdez Theatre Conference, "The Safe Space" confronts the issue of how to teach tough truths as well as a lesson in the support -- or lack of it -- from the people who should be making the decisions on just how much students and teachers need to face reality.

"In the criminal justice system, the people are represented by two separate yet equally important groups: the police, who investigate crime...." You know the rest, but in this wonderfully delicious dessert of a send-up, Steven G. Martin doesn't get past the police before we're scooped up into it, and no cone of silence will keep you from laughing and groaning at this dish that is best served cold. You'll eat it up.

This heart-to-heart between siblings has all the right feels: closeness that only family can know, the unspoken connection that links them, and now when Essie has news, she tells Solly in terms that he understands. The sensitivity that Sam Heyman brings to both of these characters is palpable, and we the audience will feel this through to our hearts. I love these kinds of moments because in many ways, it can be more truthful and powerful than some scenery-chewing outburst. It's that good.