Recommended by Philip Middleton Williams

In every relationship, the level of communication between the two people can be blurred or obscured even when they think they're connecting... but are they really? Are they talking to each other, talking past each other, or saying one thing and hearing something else? In this short but powerful piece, Hal and George see their recent breakup in vastly different terms all the while sure they're telling each other -- and themselves -- why their relationship came to an end. Sam Heyman does a masterful job of giving them every chance, and yet... Touching and truthful in every way.

Turning right-wing nutsery on its ear and into a lesson on history, faith and practice, as well as delightful humor makes this short play a fun and important tale to share. Jillian Blevins' laser-sharp dialogue, endearing characters, and comic touches never miss the target.

If a stranger who knew everything about you offered you a chance to not just change your life but get some long-sought revenge, would you take it? Or is it some kind of bargain with...? Darrin Friedman has crafted a tidy and fully-developed pairing with a very compelling premise. What would you do? Well, the first thing you should do is read this play and then share it or produce it.

There's an old saying that wisdom is not measured by degrees. I'm not sure where I heard that; P.F. Chang's or from the Shoebill Stork, but it doesn't matter; it's where we find it. Jacquelyn Floyd-Priskorn's tale of seeking wisdom from a big bird is full of humor, laugh-out-loud situations, and in doing so makes us wiser, smarter, and happier. Well, that's for you to decide, but you'd be an idiot if you didn't love it.

Who can resist a flatulent metaphor? Not I, and Jillian Blevins rips this one out onto the porch and into the light of day. But barking-spider jokes aside, this short piece is worthy of sharing, and I am still grinning from the lessons that Doxy teaches Wilkin and the rest of us.

John Busser describes the Woman on Roof/Midler as "ageless." Yes -- I still have my copy of "The Divine Miss M" on vinyl -- and she proves that despite her worries about her career, she's still got it. The cops, who are up for the remake of "Car 54 Where Are You?", do their best to try to talk her down but only make it more precarious and hilarious. Very few playwrights know how to make this kind of story into a non-stop roll of laughter and insight, but John Busser really does. (And the title is perfect.)

Let's see: a graveyard, almost dark, the appearance of someone seemingly out of nowhere... yeah, yeah, you think you've seen this one, right? But you would be wrong, and the suspense that George Sapio plants from the very beginning builds relentlessly until... well, you'll find out. Enjoy!

We deal with loss and grief in our own ways, and we all know the stages. But in this charming and imaginative short play, Brenton Kniess shows us how one person channels his loss into something that can be restorative as well as creative. Not only that, it leaves us feeling like we would love to see this puppet show in real life.

The point of a fable is to make something abstract tangible to the reader so that the point, or moral if you will, is not lost on the most obtuse reader. In this cautionary tale, Daniel Prillaman delivers the tale with cutting precision and dexterity, not to mention a perfect ending.

Reading this play is like eavesdropping on an intimate conversation. You are immediately drawn in to the intensity. There's no long exposition; it's as if they know you know each of them. It reminded me at times of Samuel Beckett, and when we are confronted with the absurdism of the public school evaluation dynamic, it never loses its place. But the message of the play is not lost on this reader who has seen both sides of the story -- the value of teachers -- and demands that we all hear them.