Recommended by Scott Sickles

As ever, Steven G. Martin hits us where we live with simplicity and a surgical percussion. This one-minute play is told primary through sound, both effects and vocal, and the lack thereof. The effect will chill your bones and make you take a hard look at your soul.

While I’m not sure it’s intended as such, this zippy and delightful short serves as a cautionary tale against watching St. Elmo’s Fire. As someone who was old enough to see this quintessential Rat Pack movie and young enough to see it again and not realize it wasn’t good until later, it’s great to see the perception of two presumably (though not necessarily) younger women who know Rob Lowe from his West Wing/Parks and Rec heyday more than from his Razzie Award winning beginnings. Anyway, this is great fun for two comically gifted actresses.

Sometimes two people can sit at a table reminiscing and the stakes could not be higher. FAMILIAR is a powerful tale, simply told, about the two-front war against dementia. Part of the tragedy is that, despite not being able to recognize his son, Dad's having a pretty good day. While the father has the great stories, the weight of this drama is carried by the son who has to balance anguish, civility, and love in the face of an intimate oblivion. Great roles!

WHOA!!! No one creates profound unease in confined spaces quite like Lindsay Partain. Here, she's simultaneously externalized a deeply internal phobia, constructed a petrifying theatrical nightmare, and invented a viscerally real torture chamber. The language is fluid and poetic but never pretentious or gratuitous. Rather, it's its own weaponry and defense and navigational system, every word and breath a struggle to survive an infinite yet ever confining landscape. It's a terrifying ride!

What I find most fascinating about tragedy and trauma is how they resonate over time and distance... how they stays with us alongside happiness and triumph. There’s a symbiosis between great love and great loss in “Only Human,” that brands the heart, sharing both the tragedy being remembered and the happiness inspired by the person who was taken away. The monologue also confronts how being near a tragedy affects one differently than if one had directly been part of it while it happened. All this is examined through a spiritual lens that is deeply and individually personal. Beautiful!

Relentlessly, literally breathtakingly funny! The dialogue has an amazing rhythm and tempo. The play explores the oft-pondered and still-much-debated issues of the LGBTQ+ community assimilating into heteronormativity without turning it into an essay or a debate. No, it’s a good old-fashioned argument! A spat between exes. And it is glorious!

Story of my damn life!
I just hope “1 and 2” have a better second minute than what I’m used to!

A lovely portrait of yearning and risk that also happens to be a bit squishy. Could not love this tiny little play more!

At the top, one character explains that this is the origin story of the love of his life. That knowledge deepens and informs everything after. Four gay men attempt to take a brief respite from the AIDS crisis, but the spectre of the virus proves impossible to escape. The apparent ghost of a former lover who died before the crisis provides an important pre-AIDS perspective in contrast to their struggles. Donnelley skillfully explores issues by showing instead of telling or preaching. A compelling and necessary play, especially for people who don’t remember or need to learn. Bravo!

A moody and suspenseful taie of survival. Otterman mixes stagecraft with radio drama to heighten the surreality of two people struggling to survive a blizzard. As they fight their way through it, both we and they revisit how they got there and there’s even some effective magic realism along the way. The play examines its characters’ anger and sorrow, showing us how they ended up in a physical and emotional limbo from which they might not escape.

Imagery of food and violence so vivid you can smell the cooking even when you’re afraid to breathe. Profound and powerful, a great role for a South Asian actress. Truly unforgettable!