Recommended by Doug DeVita

All the little things that can make up a relationship, a memory, an annoyance, a life history, an afternoon... dovetail and build beautifully into a perfectly realized gem of a 10-minute play. Lyrically realistic, with liberal doses of humor and sadness, Vince Gatton's "Status Update" is simply beautiful.

ETA (11/11/2020) And now that I've read the entire series of plays that make up the extended world of Gatton's full-length YOU HAVE EARNED BONUS STARS, I want to add there's even more meaning and heartbreak knowing how perfectly it fits into the events depicted in this epic saga.

A wonderful coming of age story, at once both contemporary and ageless, and so relatable to any one who has ever had to grow from the safety of one's upbringing into the world at large in order to realize one's dreams, as well as who they are and their place in the world. Beautiful. (BTW and FYI: listening to The Kreutzer Sonata while reading it gives an added depth to the experience.)

David MacGregor's cautionary tale is a funny, touching, and thought-provoking comedy-drama that shines a spotlight precisely where its protagonist "hero," the titular late, great Henry Boyle, doesn't want it: on the effects of un-wanted fame, and the relatively simple joys of living one's life as a non-entity.

Delightful piece with a compelling story and relatable characters, and endless possibilities for rich visual staging. Charming, lovely, and heartwarming.

Some things never change, and despite the passing of more than twenty years since it was written (and filmed as "All The Rage"), Roland Tec's "A Better Boy" is still a sharp, scathing, funny, and ultimately touching look at the perpetual search for that indefinable "something or someone better" waiting just ahead of the curve.

Touching, funny, heartbreaking, and terse, with beautifully drawn characters, "Passing On" tackles some thorny issues with grace, wit, and aplomb. Questions are asked for which there are no easy answers, decisions are made without judgment, and one is left wondering "How would I react in the same situation?" and one wonders long after the play is over.

Charming, whimsical, and absurdly funny piece, with five fun roles, especially for Walter, the not-quite-human/not-quite-dog – the physicality required could be outrageously scene-stealing – and for thoroughly confused Millie, the new receptionist. Wonderful.

An acutely observed satire, Steve Moulds' "Conflict House" deftly mixes reality TV, scientific research, Stockholm Syndrome, and the classic situation of a group of disparate people locked in a confined space, stirs, and bakes up an outrageously funny and frightening tale of a dystopian world not far removed from the realities of every day life. The paranoiac tension rises steadily, as do the laughs, uneasy though they may be.

Three poets wander into a wood... and the punch lines write themselves in this imaginative, literate, and howlingly funny short in which Gacinski does what he does best: mix poetry and drama seamlessly into stylish theatricality.

It’s fitting I should read “Lady Liberty Is Losing Her Vision” this morning, the 133rd anniversary of La Liberty’s dedication in New York’s harbor. In Lee R. Lawing’s metaphorically allegorical monologue, she is a tired, ailing lady, not unaware of her plight but determined to stay the course. A sobering but hopeful piece, I can only imagine how moving it is when brought to life by a skilled actress; just reading it was a sobering but hopeful — and touching — experience.