Recommended by Arianna Rose

There is light in the darkness, as Lux says; or more accurately, there is darkness in the light. Teens will LOVE performing this spooky play. I love the shifts in tone, and having been in more than one haunted theatre, playwright Evan Baughfman has expertly created the mood and imagery of that lone ghost light on the stage. To write more would be to give it away. Read it, and then look over your shoulder! Would love to see this produced.

Wow. As a long-time spiritual seeker, I really resonated to this play and to the karmic attributes of choosing which death you want. A thought-provoking piece that will have each audience member squirming a bit but also thinking about what they would choose. Amid all the darkness we can still make choices that help others and rise above our ego-centered selves. I would truly love to see this performed.

Everything changes but our memories, and yet they are as fluid as the ocean that provides Sally's commodity. She Sells Sea-Shells works on so many levels of theatrical magic. A short play that will give rise to long ruminations about childhood memories, the sea, and what keeps us going in an increasingly cold and careless world. I would love to see this produced. Playwright Samantha Marchant's imagination is a wonderful place to visit.

Playwright Samantha Marchant wastes no time in this delightful two-hander - will she or won't she? The parry back and forth is a tennis match where we wait to see if LOVE will occur. Or at least a coffee date. Aunt Martha may be disappointed by Matilda's actions, but you won't be. Read and produce!

Morey Norkin knows what children like - children of all ages, that is! This is a delightfully silly short, filled with word puns galore. Peas and carrots, peas and carrots, peas and carrots! A delicious repast for any school or short play festival, this is a costume designer's dream. Read and produce and watch out for Asparagus!

The Oktavist is winning all the awards and rightly so. A masterclass in subtext, humor, humanity, and deeply relatable characters and situations even though it takes place long ago and far away. Playwright Vince Gatton has crafted a gorgeous ten-minute play that should be read, savored, and produced everywhere.

A stunning and stark play about recent events. I've had the great pleasure of hearing this work as it was developed in our writers group Plays on Purpose. Playwright Bruce Karp has crafted a taut, tight, moving and important play about how life can change in an instant, and the moments we wish we could take back or keep. The characters are affecting and relatable and you'll be a better person for reading this play. Perhaps if everyone read it our legislators would enact meaningful gun reform laws.

I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of JUST LIKE IN THE MOVIES. Playwright Joe Swenson has written a well-crafted and quite funny parody of Hallmark holiday movies and the insanity of film-making. This short play is a great gift to actors, directors, and the audience. Because, you know, some holiday traditions are there for a reason.

Playwright Randy Warren has chosen a hot-button topic to write about, and in a very original way. Protagonist/antagonist roles twist and turn, and nothing is what is seems in this short play about misogyny and sexual misconduct in the office. Props for naming an orchestra musician "Viola"! This is the type of play that will have audiences arguing about it long after the curtain falls. An opportunity to look at our own "Conduct" in social and work situations.

This lovely play had me in tears. It's so imaginative, so endearing and full of kindness. You'll fall in love with the orphan boy and Mall Santa and want to go on the scavenger hunt with them. Playwright Ramsey Uhter has crafted a play that will speak to everyone, and remind all of us that family (whether it's the one you're born into, or the one you create) and memories are the true gift. Would LOVE to see this produced.