Recommended by Doug DeVita

So much is going on in this short piece it makes my head swim – and I love that about it. It's a dazzling, surreal bit of wonderfully layered wordplay, as funny as it is serious, and as absurd as it is sensible. Great roles, great potential for creative direction and design, and just a great time that I'm sure plays even better than it reads – which is pretty damn great.

Sweet, funny, and with just enough hint of cynicism to give it some spice, this is a wonderful rom-com that restores one's faith in love, and the Staten Island Ferry as a go-to for date night. Love it.

Modern Man, what is it? Apparently not much different than the Pre-Historic model, at least as posited by Singer in this wildly funny, but thoughtfully provocative fable. The underlying themes are huge – and some are quite serious – and the verbal invention is wonderful. And pay attention to the visually detailed stage directions, which point to what a dazzling production this will be be when staged.

Nelson Diaz-Marcano may be one of the most passionate writers out there, and he uses his burning passion to create intensely creative, theatrical works that are never less than riveting, frequently jolting, and always intelligently crafted. "Into The River I Went" is no exception; it grabbed me by the throat right at the beginning, and held me fast as it raced through all its twists and turns, right up to its finale.

This crisis-of-faith play is pure gold from beginning to end. The major twist comes early, but it's a winner, and from there Busser just riffs beautifully; this is an exceptionally smart, exceptionally thought-provoking, and exceptionally funny-as-hell comedy. I loved it, and would love to see it staged. God Bless Busser! (And maybe forgive him a little, too. ;-) )

I love every single word of this rallying cry for self-confidence. Thank you, Vivian! These are words to write by.

With a nod to Joe Mankiewicz and a little bit of Louise Fitzhugh, along with a whole lot of Richard Lyons Conlon, "Character Counts" is a breezy comic mystery, buoyed by its own daffy logic, wonderfully absurd characters and their downright weird predilections, snappy zingers that are often laugh out loud funny, and the off-kilter world in which he sets them all spinning. To paraphrase Bill Murray in the film "Tootsie:" This is one fucked up neighborhood.

Hageman’s tense and gripping look into a cold, unfeeling future is unsettling, yet offers a slight sense of hope that all may not be lost. As usual, she creates an entire world with quick deft strokes, and tells a complete story with economic depth.

Another in the "Right brain/Left Brain" works I've been reading, "Capriccio Radio" is Rinkel at his most passionate. One line (among many) that resonated: "...there’s people out there, ...they love their music maybe more than life itself, maybe even more than you love yours." I'm sure there are. I just don't understand why that argument is always used against those who love their highbrow stuff, because surely "those" people love THEiR music more than life itself too. And if even one person's life is changed because of it, then it's worthy of respect, as Rinkel opines eloquently here.

Gasp inducing sibling rivalry, savagely funny and devastatingly savage. Good, nasty, evil fun.