Recommended by Philip Middleton Williams

A haunting -- in every sense of the word -- telling by a women who is haunted and obsessed with her past and yet free from the shackles of her past life. Bawdy Maudie has a lot of spirit!

There are the well-known stages of grief, but the most compelling and powerful one is denial. In this funny and heartbreaking/heartwarming shot play, Colleen O'Doherty takes on denial by proxy, and the mother and daughter relationship is both challenged and strengthened as they confront the reality that is coming toward them. The blessing is that it's told in a hopeful way without getting maudlin.

Even if you are sure you know what That Word is, you'll still find that Mark Harvey Levine's way with words and That Word are funny and still pack a surprise.

How do you explain the natural urges that overcome a teenager when he is the son of God? In this little bit of whimsy, it takes divine intervention not to give away too much, but suffice it to say that the Immaculate Conception was off the table. Great fun.

Truth comes out it stressful times; sometimes the brutal truth, but truth nonetheless. The relationship between these two men was once built on a foundation of lies and charades, but when one of them is confronted with a difficult situation, the reality of what they once had is so overpowering that even in this moment they can't stop it. Thanks, Scott.

What starts out as an attempt to meet a legend turns hard and harsh when the truth comes out. There are layers in this story that go far beyond the length of the play and speak to the demons we harbor but keep in check... or so we hope. Very powerful and stunning.

Yep. Truth.

The art of doing a send-up of a genre is in getting the elements right and then doing them to the level of outrageous absurdism with the utmost seriousness and dedication to the real thing. John Busser's mash-up of every trope of film-noir, Dashiell Hammett, and Mickey Spillane is so spot-on in this short and ingenious piece that you will be chuckling along even with the stage directions. Bravo! Or should I say "Aces!"

Forced change is not change. It is deceptive and insidious, even if we try to convince ourselves it is accepted willingly. Our nature does not change, and suppression only forces it to go in another, perhaps more damaging direction.

The lighthearted way that Scott Sickles tells the story of these four people makes it even more harrowing. These people are struggling against their true selves to comply with the society and the faith they claim to profess... or so they'd like us to believe. A cautionary tale that packs a velvet-gloved punch.

The worlds that Scott Sickles creates ask only that we accept things as they are and then go along for the ride, meeting characters in situations that defy rational explanation doing extraordinary things in a blissfully ordinary way. It's not so much a willing suspension of disbelief; more an eager moment of acceptance, and in this charming play that harks back to the chaste romantic comedies of the past, we witness a moment where not only does the course of true love run slightly quirky, it could lead to a melt-down of sorts. Still, it is a delight.