Recommended by Adam Richter

I don't know why they say comedy is hard. For the main character in Philip Middleton Williams' short play, it was literally effortless. The gap between how we want our work to be seen an and how it is seen varies in size, but here it's a gaping maw.
Therein lies the tragedy.
Or in this case, the comedy.
"Stop Laughing Without Me" is a comic gem with a brilliant kicker at the end. This is a great two-hander that would be perfect for an evening of short plays.

This is an inventive, theatrical way to bring the comments section to life. Much as many of us dread the very thought of such a prospect, Ryan Stevens employs the dank underbelly of the internet to find and tell some touching stories. It's a good reminder that humanity is there, in the comments section, if one is brave enough to go looking for it.
I was surprised how much this play moved me. Fantastic work.

I mean ... there are WORSE excuses for attending a viewing.

"The Pity Mourner" is a funny and bittersweet play about two people who meet in the most unusual of circumstances. Paul Donnelly's great use of language captures all the awkwardness and false starts of these two characters as they try to figure out how and whether they fit in each other's lives. This is a great vehicle for two older actors. Bravo!

This is an elegant, touching and very funny play about the real-life aftermath of viral moments on the internet. Simple to stage yet a wonderfully complex set of roles for the three actors. I would love to see this come to life on a atage somewhere. Nice work!

This is a real treat for actors, with some great opportunities for creative blocking and staging. I love how the mirror becomes a personal avatar for each person, turning not just into who they think they are, but who they think they should be. A funny and poignant look at how we all see ourselves. Great work!

How I would love to see this on a stage; there is so much that would make "Changeling" a fun endeavor for a director, set designer and two actors.

That said, reading the text on the page — imagining the verse spoken in my head — was an amazing experience in itself. "Changeling" is a beautifully lyrical and compelling play. Cross expertly builds this fantasy world that draws us in and keeps us there with the all-too-real theme of what parents want vs. who their child becomes.

Excellent work!

Absolutely, spine-chillingly, wonderfully, creepy.

"My Friend" is a fantastic tale of the consequences of bullying, and the tragedy that occurs when the bullied finds a way to strike back in the only way she knows. Rachel Feeney-Williams does so much with atmosphere and staging that this would be a director's and actor's dream to put on stage. Bravo!

Vivian Lermond gets the world of noir detective stories dead to rights in this terrific (and too short, IMHO), quick two-hander. As with all the best parodies, this is written with a readily felt love for the genre it's mocking. Just brilliant.
*Also, "Della Estella" is one of the best character names I have read in a long time.

Any writer — hell, any creative person whose success hinges on the gatekeepers of contests, publications and the like — can identify with this delicious satire, in which a gatekeeper must reckon with the person behind the page. This is worthy of a stage production, if only to show some producers the consequences of their actions. Bravo!

I cannot overstate how impressive it is that in the course of a one-minute play, Monica Cross has crafted an entire world — an entire galaxy, really — and given us so much story, character in 60 seconds that you can't believe it's over after just a page and a half. Is it a great sci-fi play or a great one-minute play? It's both!