Recommended by Philip Middleton Williams

This is a trip, literally and imaginary, into another dimension. What brings is on is never disclosed, but it doesn't matter because the result is a transformation of the characters from how they are perceived and how they perceive themselves into their true selves; the barriers and boundaries are gone when they land on the mysterious island. And like that of Jules Verne or Shakespeare's "The Tempest," the truth is something they will learn from with or without Red Bull. Good work, Kieran.

When you blend romance and vampires, you're bound to generate a conflict that goes beyond the boundaries of either of those genres. In this story, Leah and Harmony find true attraction with the additional thrill of a life together forever. Add in a relentless vampire hunter who is a vampire themselves and you have the makings of a cracking good tale and an allegory for the world and its perceptions of Others. There's love and meaningful insight in this timeless tale.

If I had the chance to do it all over again... How many times have we said that to ourselves, to someone else, to the universe? In this tender and imaginative play, Mike Byham gives us two people who are creating their lives over again as they face the end, and you can't help but think this is the way it should be. Deeply felt and lovingly presented, a postcard to the goodness of humanity and hope.

Yeah, I've had dates like that, Scott. Thanks for reminding me.

This is... well, what's the canine equivalent of catnip -- dognip? -- because John Busser has given us a rollicking and spot-on dog's-eye view of life and the world as seen through those beautiful brown eyes. She has the insight and soul of every dog I've ever known, and once you start reading and giggling, you want more until you're panting/breathing uproariously. Who's a good dog? Waffles!

A muted trumpet playing a slow jazz line in a minor key. Light and shadow angling in through a single window looking out to the night. Cigarette smoke curling up from a single ashtray. The distant humming of the Kelvinator in the corner and the continuo of the sounds of the night. The husky, tired voices leaving no doubt about the connection of between Jeff and Mary. Douglas Gearhart writes with the soul and the feeling of noir like no one else. Robert Mitchum and Kim Stanley are in the room.

The saying that there are no atheists in foxholes may be true, but in the case of this taut and intense play by Douglas Gearhart, we find faith is tested by other means, including belief in one’s own mortality, those who stand or hunker down with us and the love of a good book. Gearhart’s style of spare and meaningful language makes it all the more impactful.

Moments in history may be forgotten unless we realize that the lesson they teach is timeless. The occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany in 1940 may be a historical footnote to some, but in this short play, Nora Louise Syran brings the moment to the forefront and makes it timeless. This is what makes theatre important: it makes the story real and immediate, and no attempt to suppress it and its voice will succeed.

Theatre has an obligation not only to entertain - sometimes with laughter, sometimes with distraction - but to inform and leave the audience in a different place than what it was when the play begins. Scott Sickles does this with grace, power, and determination in this short piece that left me breathless. His poetry, not just in words but also with imagery and action, is delicately powerful and precise. Not only that, we see a history that may have been forgotten but now cannot be lost.

Having served on a number of job interview panels both as a candidate and an interrogator -- I mean interviewer -- I can attest that what Sam Heyman has written is this close to a documentary about how things go nowadays. That it takes place on Zoom is testimony to the impersonal manner in which getting to know a candidate through a jumble of pixels obliterates any human contact... which seems to be the point. It's hilarious, scary, and very right on the mark.