Recommended by Dominica Plummer

I probably shouldn't say this about a play that contains MULTIPLE REFERENCES TO DRUG AND ALCOHOL USE, but Daniel Prillaman's play is absolutely delightful. He captures the voices of the parents and horrified teen so perfectly, and still manages to make this piece gently hilarious. Another hit in his lovely How To Talk To Your Child series. This one will be a winner with actors and audiences alike.

Cross has crafted a heartfelt piece all dressed up as a shiny robot. Isaac Asimov this short is not, but ON ROBOTS AND RAINDROPS is definitely in the tradition of exploring human/mechanical companion interaction. As we all look forward to a future where our memories may be more present than the people we created them with—isn't it time to acknowledge that even a robot could be a good friend in healing loss and loneliness? A short play to make an audience think. Well done!

Flawless. Mark Harvey Levine's Surprise had me laughing almost before it began, and you don't have to be psychic to know that this play is a sure fire audience pleaser wherever it is produced. Can wait to see it on stage!

Lots of clever plotting in Andrew Martineau's BE THAT AS IT MAY, and the way that each layer of interaction between characters and actors gets increasingly blurred is sure to delight audiences as they try to figure things out. Lots of suspense, lots of great opportunities for actors to have a blast with this fraught situation—I'd say Martineau has created a shorts festival winner here.

A student ambushes a teacher after class, and a friendship is born, even though the teacher is reluctant to give easy answers. Lucy Wang's A WALKABLE FEAST is an unexpectedly meaningful encounter that gradually reveals the characters to each other as they walk around a neighborhood in Los Angeles, take in an organic garden (just one of the feasts on offer) and return to the teacher's house opposite the school. Wang's charmingly meditative piece reminds us how good teachers can make all the difference.

This cleverly crafted and warm hearted walking play is a play about two people and their beloved pup, Sam. Two of the trio are no longer alive, but in a play that is part memory, part dream, that doesn't prevent playwright Williams from finding ways to reunite them. As Sam reminisces and acts out the glorious walks he enjoyed with Philip and Allen, the past springs back to life and the three can forget their sadness at being apart, and remember the magic of being together.

Julie Zaffarano's walking play Picnic on Squire Cheyney Farm Park pits a child on the threshold of becoming a man against a mother trying to adapt to the loss of her family. She attempts to hold onto her child with a walk to a local cemetery with family connections but, predictably, her teen wants none of it. Nevertheless these two find ways to confront the inevitability of death and transformation — and in doing so, connect to honour the past in a way that isn't completely "lame." A poignant piece that will appeal to audiences of all ages.

Two neighbors, Bea and Laura, used to taking a daily walk around their Framingham, MA. neighborhood, find that the events of January 6th 2021 directly impact their routine in a most unwelcome way. Bea is reluctant to pass by the house of Trump supporters, and Laura has her work cut out trying to convince her. John Minigan's poignant walking play shows a cataclysmic event rippling out to affect neighborhoods throughout the United States, and how ordinary folks must wrestle with unfamiliar feelings of violence and rage. Recommended.

Carl Andre, tortured artist and sculptor, takes a walk to Mount Auburn Cemetery in Boston to commune with the bird spirit of his mentor, a gifted artist whose work never received the recognition it should have done during her lifetime. Carl has to pay homage, but also to confess. Can mentor Maud Morgan absolve him so that he can work again? Ellen Davis Sullivan's walking play, complete with instructions on how to follow in Carl's footsteps, will haunt actors and audiences alike.

Two people, having a bad day, meet at a bus stop. But instead of creating a drama about losing a job, or a doctor's appointment that might be bad news, Adam Richter chooses to focus on the dancing. Trudy and Jack aren't brought together by a mutual love of dancing, either. But in the space of a few minutes, these two connect, find joy in movement and music, and by the time Jack's bus arrives, we get the sense that both their lives have changed for the better. Nicely done!