Recommended by Adam Richter

A beautiful and insightful tale of neurodivergence and finding your tribe. I love the depth that Sam Heyman brings to his characters, and in this play, they not only come to life but they SING!
This is a wonderful play that makes the most of both the 10-minute format and the musical format. Bravo, Sam!

This delightful and laugh-out-loud play takes on the biblical tale of the prodigal son, giving us the fatted calf's perspective on the whole matter. Along the way, Mark Harvey Levine gives the audience some thoughtful insights into duty, destiny and the age-old debate: Who has it worse: people or cows?
"The Prodigal Cow" would be a great addition to any short play festival.

More than a title, "You Love Who You Love" is a credo. Ryan Vaughan shows us the urgency of that message with every relationship on display in this heartfelt and beautiful monologue. Bryce takes us on a journey that is equal parts tender, suspenseful and humorous before giving way to a joyful ending.

This is a remarkable monologue. I would. love to see it performed.

Debra A. Cole's brilliant play about artificial intelligence is unnerving because. the future that it envisions seems like it's right around the corner. How long before ChatGPT grows legs and inhabits a robotic body? I'd love to see this chilling and thought-provoking play in a festival of shorts.

What a great story to bring to life! Jillian Blevins gives us a complex, compelling and often very funny play about sisters, the stage and the secrets that shape us. Blevins blends the language of Shakespeare with the language of 19th-century London as Charlotte, Susan and and the rest leap off the page and into our imagination in a story that modern audiences will not only relate to, but love.

"The Polycule" has a lot to say about the complexities of relationships — not just poly, but all kinds — and Jillian Blevins lovingly skewers them all in this laugh-out-loud, clever comedy of manners The rhyming couplets get along better than any two people on stage, adding to the humor and spirit of fun in this piece. Absolutely brilliant.

A bittersweet and funny coda to a fun series of challenges by Debra A. Cole, whose talent for writing (and for writing fast) is a joy to behold.

Now I’m hungry …

Sam Heyman is a master at getting right to the humanity and the heart of any theatrical situation, no matter how otherworldly the setting. Here he gives us a dystopian view of a future world at war with an unseen yet existential threat, distilling the conflict down to the touching friendship between two people affected by the horror. This is a terrific short that will fit in with any science fiction-themed short play festival and get audiences talking.

I love how the tone of this play goes from comic to cringey to comic seamlessly. What a great piece for two actors who would have a ball with the slow-building tension, followed by the rapid-fire volley of truth missiles fired from both sides. "Let Lying Dogs Sleep" is a terrific two-hander that audiences will love. Bravo!

This trio of one-minute plays runs the gamut from the familiar to the ridiculous to the sublime (if you read them in order.) They each tell a beautiful story of relationships at various stages, and would work well as a set or as individual plays in a longer evening. A lovely response to an interesting play prompt.