Recommended by Jordan Bird

What a terrific, balanced, perfectly-executed short play. RANK is set in a scifi future but hits so close to home, exploring themes of utilitarianism, fascism, and self-sacrifice. I was lucky to see a reading of this play at the William Inge New Play Lab, and it was a huge hit. This would be a great choice for a science fiction or political play festival.

I so enjoyed this lovely short play. Lawing treats his characters with deep, palpable love, and so I love Aaron and Caroline from the very start. The ever-presence of the crow is a beautiful image, a hovering form that Aaron can't take his mind away from. A MURDER OF CROWS is funny, subtle, sweet, and poetic: a slice of life that examines dementia without ever feeling maudlin, which is no easy task. A great play for two older actors.

I loved this short play by Kevin Daly. I was fortunate to see a reading of this piece at the Inge New Play Lab and was instantly in love with these delightful, intriguing characters that are full of huge humor and deep secrets. Daly slowly unveils the shortcomings and desperately sad distance between these three siblings-- I'm cheering all of them on. And there is some terrific opportunities for sound/lighting/set designers. I loved it! Highly recommend.

Wow. I'm in love with this script. Im lucky enough to have seen a reading of this play at the Inge Festival, and it provoked such intense, vibrant conversation. These characters are so complicated, so deep, and treated with such integrity and honor, even though they make bad, bad choices that have devastating consequences. Merilo adds a necessary voice to the complexity of the male teacher/female student relationship. If you want to start a conversation in your theatre community, I highly recommend this funny, scary, tender, horrifying play. A really wonderful opportunity for deep character study for two actors.

Another beautiful, thoughtful, considered short by Sandra Daley-Sharif. I fell in love with Mel instantly, and that feeling of connection only grew throughout the monologue. I love the balance struck here between aging into your self/your identity, and finding that part of you was there all along. There's something here about growing older and younger simultaneously, and it's truly lovely and poetic. This would make a great audition piece.

Spooky, mysterious, slow, and tense, WILDERNESS strikes a rare balance of sparse dialogue and rich, deep characters. Hovanesian unveils details so meticulously, allowing the reader/audience to dig up piece after piece of the puzzle. I would love to see this play in production.

There are moments in this play that are utterly transcendent: somehow beautiful, horrible, and heartbreaking all at once. VillaMil slowly allows these characters to unfold with a flawless control of rhythm and exposition. KARA SEVDA is a hard and essential play for our international landscape, where a few terrifying, power-crazed people hold the power to end everything we know. And in the midst of this horror, VillaMil gives us hope, even if the only hope is for the possibility of a moment's connection with another soul. I'll be thinking about this play for a long time.

What a fun, wonderful surprise this play was. I, COCKROACH is romantic and sweet and horrifying and smart. I love the riffs on Kafka. On the surface, this is a fun romp, but it also honors the sanctity of life in an utterly original way. Totally loved it.

THE LAST RING is a thoughtful play filled with lovely metaphors and badass women. What an exciting project for a creative team -- actresses would have an absolute blast with the intense choreographed fighting as well as the in-depth character development. Hopeful, vulnerable, loving.

An absolutely stunning, perfect horror play, THE DEMON HUNTER scared the bejeezus out of me. A haunting exploration of the strange nightmare-place where mental illness meets the spirit world. I would LOVE to see this in production.