Recommended by Emily McClain

An achingly accurate portrait of teenage boys, including the complexity of navigating friendship and figuring yourself out, and the impossible challenge of telling someone how you really feel about them. All unfolding in beautifully paced 10-minute play. Bluestein-Lyons gives us such a clear window into their world!

This play is absolute catnip for the literary-pun fan, but knowledge of the works of Dickens, Verne, or Lovecraft isn't necessary to enjoy the snappy dialogue and funny premise of the play. Fantastic opportunities for character actors!

A delightfully bizarre 10-minute play with a really satisfying ending. This would be absolutely hilarious to see staged!

This is such a clear picture of this parent-child relationship, both specific and completely and totally relatable! Wonderful one-minute play!

This short play reminded me that I have a LOT of unprocessed feelings about the Bush years, the Iraq war, and the appalling lack of consequences for anyone from that era. It's easy to recognize the pattern of behavior setting up for a repeat with the Trump era as well and Plummer's dark satire keeps me hoping for a barrage of sixty ton angels. Very compelling work (and it introduced me to a new band, which is always a great bonus)!

This play takes on the nearly impossible task of putting a personal, human face on a school shooting by making the cancellation of the classic teenage rite-of-passage (the PROM!) a flashpoint for more conflict in the horrifying aftermath. Cathro's intergenerational relationships are all amazing in this play, but the relationship between the mother & daughter at the center of this piece is absolute gold. The staging possibilities are exciting for a director & design team and the content brings up difficult issues we need to address. Brilliant work!

This play is terrifying in such an incredible way: the tactics that Allan utilizes on emotionally vulnerable Lawrence are familiar and seemingly-innocent. Scott Sickles delivers 90 minutes of psychological manipulation that is both grotesque and so recognizable to anyone that has lived through emotional abuse. Excellent dialogue (we expect nothing less from Sickles' keyboard!) and smart, believable, and flawed characters.

This play highlights the strengths of absurdism as our last, best hope in the face of souless corporate America. Vovos' command of language and pacing is on vivid display in this piece and we're all better off for it! Wonderful work!

What an absolute slam-dunk of a character study! This monologue is a great journey and would be a huge hit with audiences as the unexpected twist is revealed. Fabulously dark and funny!

Each time Anna is interrupted by the hosts of the radio broadcast, I felt a deeper sense of urgency to hear her story. Their chipper, unrelenting need to insert their product plugs was frustratingly relatable!
Svich paints a moving portrait of a woman struggling to get by in a small town in Indiana but her story is easily found across the United States. Anna's desire to be a voice for those who don't get asked to speak is an incredible takeaway for this short play. Anna's monologue is a gift for a performer!