Recommended by Doug DeVita

Things escalate quickly, and hilariously, in this short gem; what gives the piece its punch is how clear-eyed Augustin is about her characters and their wants and needs. One wonders how this couple will fare in the next six months, and that lingering question lends an air of poignancy to the comedy.

Filled with lovably endearing, if fractiously irritating family members, this play is a wonderfully contemporary model of the “family drama” genre. Sharp, funny dialogue, stakes which keep rising, and those aforementioned family members all bumping off each other like balls in an out of control pinball machine, along with that beautifully quiet, perfectly pitched ending, make Fernandez’ script a winner.

Rich in visual imagery, this very very short flight of fantasy is delightful. It’s delicious. It’s delovely. The possibilities for inventive staging are as limitless as the sky through which it so effortlessly soars, and it will leave you hungry for more. And cream puffs.

A good, old-fashioned, and wonderfully entertaining mystery thriller, Bob Cooner’s delicious adaptation of an Agatha Christie short story (featuring the lovably irascible Belgian detective, Hercule Poirot) captures her intricately structured plotting as well as her dry British wit, and perfectly suits the audio drama format. One can imagine sitting by one’s radio, breathlessly hanging on every word from its intriguing beginning to its thrilling conclusion.

Oh how I love this smart, funny, and spot on monologue. Weddings are always affairs of heightened emotions, and often cursed by inept speeches “honoring” the bride and groom. Or bride and bride. Or groom and groom. Doesn’t matter. What we get here works across the boards to both entertain and school, and does so in a witty, sparkling, and scintillating manner. A champagne toast to Monica Cross!

Will’s need to both repulse and curry connection is palpable in Torres’ wonderfully theatrical almost-monologue. Sharply, beautifully written, Will is a tour de force for an actor, a character who’s hard to love but also hard to resist loving. By all means, feed Will. Don’t feed the bear, but definitely feed Will.

A noir radio play? And a funny noir radio play? YES, PLEASE. McCann’s sure grasp of the genre, his whiplash wit, and imaginative use of the audio format make this a winner in my book. So much fun to read, I can only imagine what bliss sitting in a darkened room listening to it could be.

What starts as a (possible) romantic comedy, complete with the requisite meet-cute and resistance, quickly turns into a pseudo horror comedy that gives one pause: who really are the monsters in this world? Alltop’s dialogue is by turns witty, funny, probing, and provocative, as are his characters. A fun piece with dark undercurrents, this would be wonderful in Halloween festivals. Hell, it would be wonderful in any festival, particularly one set in a bar.

Blunt, horrifying, and emotionally devastating. A tour de force for the four women playing Charlotte, the central character, and for the director lucky enough to be able to stage this theatrical, moving, and heartbreaking gem.

Setting an audio play inside a museum where the stimulation is almost entirely visual may seem contradictory, yet Fowkes paints the pictures for us with his astute word play. With the dialogue alone, we’re there with these two women as they troll for husbands at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, we see what they see quite clearly without any undue exposition, and we laugh with (and at) them. Quite a feat, and really shows the power of words to stir the imagination.