Recommended by Lee R. Lawing

There is a definite hint of sadness that prevails throughout this beautiful ode to being in a relationship with someone who is battling their own demons while you can only look on and hope that at some point that person finds the right footing to move toward a brighter light than they are in. Alcoholism is such a devastating burden for the drinker and those who love the drinker. Gentleness, like this beautiful play is , sometimes is the best course of action for all involved.

A funny and oh frightening satire about what our future could be like if we just become passive about all the going-ons in each and every state where those in power are trying to erase those that are not by making them less than they are and stripping away each and every human who isn't towing the the hetero-cismale line of conformity.

Any time you dive into a Vampire Bear story, you know you should go ahead and fasten your seat belt for the bumpy ride of delights that spill forth and this 9th entry is no different what with our hero bear and his side kick coming to save the day once again in such a delightful fusion of humor, wit and heart that we've come to expect in this series.

Whatever the subject, whatever the voice, Asher can get into it like no other writer can and present us with a full-fleshed person that most of us didn't realize we needed to know but are all the more wiser for having done so to see those on the so-called fringe who need the voice that that Asher gives them! This was my featured play of the day and always a joy to read those when they are by someone I know and whose work I admire.

The Dog is a darkly funny and horrifying cautionary tale about one engagement derailed by one dog's violent and unpredictable reaction to their owner's engagement. Relationships are hard enough as it is and when you bring any of the family into it, be it human or canine, you are bound to face those who approve and those who do not. What A and B find out during the play is just how far anyone will go to appease one you are promising yourself to for that life-time commitment though sickness and health until parted by death.

Everyone has insecurities and it's so fun to see two literary giant discussing something so intimate and personal of which so many men have wondered about since the beginning of man-kind.

Having a little faith can't be that bad when it comes to starting a new world and civilization, and our Adam and Eve find out soon enough that they might need a little more than that when it comes time to start a new Martian world after humans have destroyed the lovely gift of earth that we were given by God. There's only so much a god can take before they too will turn their backs on us and let us defend for ourselves in a what seems to be a barren future.

Friendships are tough period. What are the protocols for them when they can change on a dime and what was cemented as a friend suddenly becomes something that leaves you longing to be out of the friendship, or back in if you felt rejected. This was the play of the day for me and I'm so glad I got to discover this playwright's work.

There are so many moments in life that we feel stuck in and that being stuck can be an emotional high or make you feel you are trapped in a prison that you'll never get out of and one's true sexual understanding of themselves can be those moments that nothing in life really prepares you for. It is getting a little better, but still it's not a simple thing. Smith's play is one of a trilogy and it would be fascinating for a theater to do all three for the audience to see the heartfelt emotions of all 3.

Oh those people we choose to send in to deal with life and end of world situations, those people that we think have to be smarter than the rest of us because they in that powerful position to be sent. They are, of course, human with all the human emotions that come from it. This is a laugh out loud script with two of those selected to help us stave off nuclear winter by agreeing to end the arms race. I felt sympathy for B’s hunger pains as they were going to battle without the proper nourishment