Recommended by Adam Richter

[2025-08-04]

Mike Byham's short drama is a lovely tribute to the small acts that make the unbearable times somehow less so. This is a touching play that reminds us humanity and decency are within reach of all of us. Well done.

[2025-08-03]

A gripping and terrifying short play that is easy to stage, "Scorpio Moon" is a brilliant piece that examines memory, trauma and how the repercussions of our actions ripple out in ways we can never see in the moment. Such perfect storytelling in this compact two-hander. Bravo!

[2025-08-01]
All hail Midget and Fidget!
These birds of a feather make a delightful comedy duo as two pigeons on a wire deciding when and where to — ahem — relieve themselves. Along the way they get some profound insights into what makes a friendship. Best of all their taste in cars is impeccable.

I'd love to see this on a stage. So many great possibilities for actors and designers! Bravo!

[2025-07-30]

As the tech broligarchy keeps pushing AI on the human race, I suspect Judd Lee Silverman's "Satisfaction Guaranteed" is the future: More's the pity, because this funny and poignant play shows that technology alone is not what dooms humanity: It's our fraying and broken connections to one another.
This play is a warning wrapped in a delightfully absurd comedy. Bravo!

[2025-07-28]

Everyone has their reasons for coming to the Quarry House, but Benjie may have the greatest need. Philip Middleton Williams shows us the power of memory — human and otherwise — in this highly theatrical, warmly human and deeply funny play. When you don't know what you're looking for, head for the Limestone Republic. Bravo!

[2025-07-16]

An unsettling and all-too-familiar play about where the United States is heading in 2025. Julie Brandon's short piece should be produced everywhere, before it becomes lived experience for us all. An excellent, haunting short satire.

[2025-07-14]

At the heart of this two-hander about the extinction of bees is, well, a lot of heart. Jennifer O'Grady skillfully weaves an intimate story of longing into this tale of two bees who are rightly concerned about the devastation of the planet — specifically, their place on it. When the world around is collapsing and bad news dominates the headlines, all you can do is just — ahem — bee.

[2025-07-11]

I had the pleasure of watching a staged reading of this in Reading , Pa., and it was a delight. Dan McGeehan joyfully skewers the upscale (and aspiring upscale) classes with their need for material goods to prove their worth. When said worth proves to be far less valuable than they expected, the fight to surpass the Joneses (or in this case, the MacKenzies) begins. A funny and biting satire that would be great for any short-play festival.

[2025-07-11]
There is no giving peas a chance in this funny, punny paean to the humble round vegetable. If you've ever wanted to visualize whirled peas, Christopher Plumridge's delightful short will make you green with envy.

[2025-07-11]
Scott Sickles' short play is a haunting meditation on what it means to grieve and to forgive. What struck me the most about this piece was the subtle but profound way in which the dead characters influenced the living. Sometimes it is too late to say the things we meant to say in life, but as "Beautiful Noises" shows, every so often there's just a little bit more time. Lovely.