Recommended by Adam Richter

This clever updating of the Medusa myth skewers two subjects simultaneously and does so with great humor: Medusa herself, and parenting. Turns out the ancient Gorgon is also a helicopter parent. She's not only a nightmare for Perseus (who now holds a place in her heart and her foyer) but for the beleaguered school administrators who have to deal with less lethal iterations of her sort every damn day.
This is a great two-hander that would be terrific for any 10-minute play festival, especially one centered on mythology.

For too long people have interpreted the Myth of Sisyphus as a metaphor for the human condition. Marcia Eppich-Harris points out in this buoyant and funny play that the Greek character is a metaphor for the WRITER'S condition. An endless, monotonous task that deprives us of our time to write? Yep. Can relate. The way he responds to the assignment had me giggling. Great job!

I will never look at La Croix the same way again. Only in the hands of Philip Middleton Williams can a somewhat anodyne sparkling beverage rise to such an elevated status as it does in this wonderful monologue. We get to know so much about Alex in half a page: Why he drinks water and how his beverage of choice makes his life better. An actor would have a great time unpacking this monologue.

This is an absolutely brilliant use of virtual theater. Aly Kantor takes a scenario that seems all-too-familiar — a woman stuck at home because of a pandemic — and proceeds to upend all of our expectations in this tension-filled, compelling drama. Outstanding!

In a few short pages, Robert Mattson packs a great deal of thought-provoking issues: race, class, the elusive American dream, aging and of course, lawn care. Oh, and it's funny. Vincent and Frank are two friends who've seen what suburban life has done to them and they are powerless to resist the siren call of lawn maintenance. This terrific two-hander would be easy to stage, indoors or out, and would delight audiences. Bravo!

I had the honor of presenting "Cleaning Gravestones" in a televised staged reading for Reading Theater Project.

This is a brilliant two-hander about the complicated relationship between a woman and her parents, whose relationship has, it seems, always been fraught. The father tells painful but necessary truths that propel the action, and the mother, though unseen, looms large as a character in her own right.
Beautiful and heartbreaking. Someone needs to stage this play.

I'm pretty sure that this is the first time I've seen the title of a Scott Sickles play in the dialogue of a Scott Sickles play*, and it is totally worth it. This sendup of tired writing tropes is so spot-on and funny, I'm going to wince even harder the next time I hear Elrond declare, "You shall be the Fellowship of the Ring!"
Produce this play. It is laugh-out-loud funny, clever and a third complimentary thing!

*Technically it still isn't, since no character says the phrase "Tropes I hate."

The snappy dialogue and genuine warmth among the couple and their child make Marcus Gorman's play about genetic modification, the quest for immortality and how far we go for love an absolute delight. This is a funny, funny play that would be great to see on a stage. The actors would have a blast. Bravo!

When your mind wanders during meditation, it probably goes to a place like "Envision." This funny and ultimately uplifting play is a clever examination of the "happy place" we try to create for ourselves in our heads, and what can happen when other people wander in. The staging is simple yet absolutely brilliant, and the dialogue is pitch-perfect.

An editor I used to work with often said, the only kids who should play sports are orphans. Asher Wyndham's monologue of a beleaguered youth referee reminded me of that saying. If the monologue were just about the awfulness of hockey parents, that would be enough; but Wyndham smartly moves past the obvious to explore WHY parents are so awful at youth sporting events. It's not just about wins and losses; something is broken in society, and Wyndham nails this sense of hopelessness and rage. This is a brilliant piece.