Recommended by Adam Richter

"The Kimchi Treaty" has two important lessons that need more attention in modern drama:
1) Most differences between perceived enemies are slight and petty squabbles with origins too dumb to take seriously when looked at through the lens of reason.
2) Kimchee is freakin' delicious.
Are those two observations related in this play? Yes! Am I going to tell you how? No!
Read it for yourself. Enjoy. And grab a napkin.

At the center of parenting is fear, but in the center of THAT is joy. And if you can put aside all the fears that come with watching your little person grow up, the aforementioned joy is without comparison.
That specific genus of joy is the heartbeat of Scott Sickles' "Chestburster," a much-needed tale of a gay parent crowing about their gay child's first romantic kiss.
This short monologue is a shining gem in a world desperate for some kind of light. Bravo, Scott!

A wild ride for father, son and audience. John Busser has given us a funny, tension-filled two-hander with twists around every turn. Bravo!

Christopher Soucy's latest "Spooky U" episode features sword fighting (yay!) and a book that may or may not be covered with human skin, yet the most horrifying segment involves white people asking the cringiest (of course) questions of Reggie and Shannon, the only non-white students at school. This is a brilliant satire of, well, race relations, with an ending that tells us the journey of Reggie and Shannon is not over. I can't wait to see what Christopher has in store for them next.

This excellent monologue has echoes in a real-world debate over revising a beloved author's works to reflect the times we live in rather than the times in which the art was created. Scott Sickles makes the case for ignoring both the book-burning fascists who feed on artistic representations of their hate as well as the "Cult of the Proudly Offended," as Sickles so masterfully labels them here.

This is an excellent, thought-provoking monologue and I look forward to seeing it performed.

The problem with modern plays is that they don't have enough sword fights. "SPOOKY U: FENCING LESSONS" more than makes up for it in this unconventional practice session between a hapless college freshman and his new coach. I loved the fast-paced dialogue and the action that gives actors plenty of room to have fun. En garde!

Jillian Blevins corrects the record.
The myth of Medusa has always been problematic (a fancy word for misogynistic), but in THE FEMALE GAZE, Blevins gives Medusa (and Metope, from another myth) their due. The dialogue is crisp and the staging is ingenious. This is a great and necessary updating of a classic Greek myth, one that makes the story of Medusa and Metope relevant not just to our time, but to all time.
Bravo!

I often wonder what happens to characters after I've thought them up but they don't make it to the page. Thanks to Philip Middleton Williams' I need wonder no longer. "Any Second Now" is a delightful treat for audience, but especially for actors who get to play havoc with the writer's imagination.
It's also a good reminder to treat one's bullpen of characters with care, but I probably won't anyway.
Bonus points for the dig at Jean-Paul Sartre, one of my personal favorite dead white guys to lampoon.

Bravo, playwright!

Welp. Guess my kid isn't going on any high-school European trips.

But Debra Cole's short play is much more than a cautionary tale for anxious parents: It's a well-told story of a ghost who just wants a little goddamn peace and quiet, and the living chaperone who unwittingly stands in her way. Past meets present in a compelling and comedic way, and the ending is (no spoilers) laugh-out-loud and perfect.

I was blown away by the theatrical presentation of this deceptively straightforward story of a breakup. Sam Heyman has written a taut, emotional drama where I couldn't help but root for BOTH George and Hal. This is a brilliant 10-minute play that was a pleasure to read and would be amazing to see performed on stage.