Recommended by Adam Richter

[2024-10-30]

Nothing says intimacy like being ready to record your partner's sleep at the drop of a hat. Rory quickly comes to regret her decision in Jacquelyn Floyd-Priskorn's tense, frightening short play with an ending I guarantee you will not see coming. "Sleep Talker" will have audiences talking long after the lights come up. Bravo!

[2024-10-30]

What's the difference between a helicopter parent and a wet blanket? Nothing, if Cathleen and Merle have anything to say about it! Steven Martin's delightful farce is a laugh-out-loud farce that lovingly skewers overbearing parents who, let's face it, have best intentions (if the worst timing). This would be a great addition to any short play festival and will have the audience rolling in the aisles. Bravo, Steve!

[2024-10-30]

This farce had me laughing from start to finish. Jule Zaffarano twists a proposal cliche into a hilarious romp, with a satisfying ending I never saw coming. I would love to see this on stage.

I love a good satire that pokes a stick in the eye of religion. "Devil's Advocate" uses two prominent yet opposing tenets of Christianity to skewer the idea that Satan is really all that bad. This is the best defense of the devil since "Paradise Lost," and a much more fun read!

[2024-10-28]

Whoever said that improv and horror don't mix was clearly mistaken.

No one actually said that, but the fact remains that Jacqueline Floyd-Priskorn expertly incorporates the former into the latter in this original, twisty and suspenseful tale. I enjoyed every second of my stay at the Grand Island Lodge, and you will too.

[2024-10-28]

"Ambient Light" is a lovely two-hander about the endless pursuit of love and intimacy. Donnie and Phillip navigate memories of their shared past with the stilted unease that comes with decades of being apart. Their chance encounter at the National Gallery shows that while time can stretch the bonds between two people, it can't break them.
Paul Donnelly gives us a tender portrayal of ex-lovers that would be perfect for a pair of older actors.

[2024-10-27]

Sam Heyman turns up the creep factor with this play, not only in the setting but in the central character, an incel whose only thoughts of others involve ways he can exact his revenge on them. "Night At the Wax Museum" is a highly theatrical, scary and taut thriller that would fit in perfectly with any 10-minute play festival. Bravo, Sam!

[2024-10-21]

This heartwarming play has everything you need for holiday entertainment: cooking advice, a loving family, an astrolabe and a smelly creature from the deep that resembles a monster from a John Carpenter film. What more could you ask for?
Nothing. The answer is nothing. "A Creature Was Stirring" is a perfect addition to any holiday-themed short play festival.

[2024-10-20]

A brilliantly evocative and moving portrayal of the great poet Emily Dickinson in what seems like her final moments. Nora Louise Syran makes great use of Dickinson's poetry in this wonderful short play about mortality and the spiritual realm. This would be a treat to stage, for set designers, actors and audiences. Bravo!

Morey Norkin's "The Replacement" is a sharp, cutting satire that expertly dissects the fragility of neo-Nazi false bravado. This story is equal parts humorous and heartfelt, and the ending provides an encouraging sense of hope. Thoughtful theater at its best. Bravo!