Recommended by David Beardsley

Festivals of “naughty shorts” take note: Has Walter Freeman got a play for you! He takes what is an an awkward and uncomfortable situation on the best day and turns the volume hilariously to eleven. I laughed, I cringed, I squirmed in my seat!

Carabatsos has a real gift for dialogue; her characters never seem to say anything directly, and yet they say say so much. That's certainly true of this play, which is about siblings, who are already dealing with one loss and who now find themselves nearing the end of a road trip that, once finished, will only compound that sense of loss. Despite the seriousness of the topic and the real pain her characters feel, the play is funny and quirky. The use of GPS as a means for finding your way emotionally is inspired. Really love this play.

This laugh-out-loud, darkly comedic send up of show business and reality television, with its cast of ten larger-than-life characters and its scalpel-sharp dialogue, would be ideal for any community theater or repertory company looking for a comedy that will seem both familiar and fresh to its audience. As with most good comedy, there's a poignancy behind the laughs. This play comments masterfully on the ways in which Hollywood's hyper-competitive, profit-at-all-costs mindset turns dreams into nightmares and leaves broken lives in its wake. This play really deserves attention. It's a lot of fun.

This laugh-out-loud, darkly comedic send up of show business and reality television, with its cast of ten larger-than-life characters and its scalpel-sharp dialogue, would be ideal for any community theater or repertory company looking for a comedy that will seem both familiar and fresh to its audience. As with most good comedy, there's a poignancy behind the laughs. This play comments masterfully on the ways in which Hollywood's hyper-competitive, profit-at-all-costs mindset turns dreams into nightmares and leaves broken lives in its wake. This play really deserves attention. It's a lot of fun.

Norman Rockwell meets Philip K. Dick? My goodness, this is an absolutely chilling and ultimately heartbreaking play about a dystopian future society in which individuals and human thought are treated as commodities and regulated strictly. Foster packs so much detail and complexity into ten short minutes! The dialogue is terrific, and the moments of humor and “normal family life” add depth to what is ultimately a terrifying play. This is a genuinely unique take on the dehumanization at the core of dystopian drama. Well done!

What a terrific piece of satire that manages to capture the understandable desire to avoid a difficult future, and the importance of facing that future despite the discomforts it will bring. The play lulls you into believing you understand what’s happening and know precisely where the story is headed. Then, it swerves in a deliciously funny but oh so thought provoking way. Definitely a fun addition to any festival.

What a delightful and funny play. Three young women celebrating their first apartment find themselves face to fangs with a big, hairy spider. Suddenly adulthood seems less attractive. It would be a joy to see this play on stage, with the rapid-fire dialogue and the physical comedy. And I suspect it is tremendously fun to play. Hopefully it has a long life if festivals.

Well, now, that wasn’t the ending I was expecting! And it turns the innocent, rom-com trajectory of this play into a deliciously dark and cynical roller coaster ride. Bavoso’s dialogue is fantastic, and a few of the jokes had me laughing out loud. But it’s that ending, and the complexity Bavoso gives it (Is she doing him a favor? Probably not, but...) that makes this play shine.

A poignant story about dreams that have been deferred, lives that have been derailed, and the need we all have for connection another person. In this case, the connection happens between strangers, which only amplifies the pain we feel when that connection is lost with the people who are at the center of our lives. Something has changed for both Frank and Rachel by the end of this play. But we’re left to wonder if it has changed for the better.

This is a wonderful, carefully written, and subtle play. The symbolic meaning of the swans shifts in such nuanced ways, and Minigan handles these shifts with such skill and craftsmanship. The dialogue is terrific and the the play handles issues like insecurity, identity, and sexual awareness with genuine tenderness. Bravo!