Recommended by Cherielyn Ferguson

This is real life. Anyone who's dealt with aging relatives will see themselves in Legacy. We've navigated delusions, reassured a loved one that they're safe, and decided to agree that we are indeed a long-deceased mother. Helen does her best to support Joseph in his certainty that he's been visited by aliens, until she can't. Legacy is totally absorbing and offers two great parts for older actors.

I'd love to see this onstage-- lighting, sound, sets and costume will drive home the delightfully spooky story. The play's message is clear: be yourself and let one one, especially yourself, stop you from being who you are. Among the best lines:

Knight: I meant it as a matador.
Pip: Perhaps you mean... 'metaphor'.

I caught this at the 2025 Midwest Dramatists Conference and it gave me a lot to think about. When a former colleague talks you up for a job and tells you it's yours, should you believe him? How is a teenager affected by hours spent in his dark bedroom playing a shooter game with online friends? I got who these characters were right off the bat and would like to have spent more time with them.

Dangerous Places made me reflect on how people can interpret the same event differently. Lori and her kids, Aiden and Kelsea, remember husband and father through their own lenses, and are at odds about how to move forward after his death. The play reaches a satisfying conclusion with the promise of reconciliation and empathy. Full production would really let its most spooky elements stand out the way they should. It offers a great part for a young actor as well.

This play will speak to you if you're a aficionado of science-fiction, fan-fiction or any combination of the two. I am neither, but I was thoroughly entertained by Biggest Fans in the Aftertime during a reading at the Midwest Dramatists Conference 2025. The MDC actors had a ball playing these three well-developed characters, and the audience enjoyed spending time with them just as much.

Ha-- this is hilarious. I love plays that apply outrageous new characters and circumstances to mundane environments. In this case, the teacher is a creature and the pesky students are villagers seeking, well, the norm from your average vengeful monster: murder. Great for the stage as well as radio!

One of this play's greatest strengths is its lickety-split, believable dialog. Another is how clearly these sisters are emotional opposites who see the world in two different ways. The satisfying ending shows us that it's Theresa's common-sense, get-with-it viewpoint that prevails and gets her unmotivated sister off the dime. Any actor would be happy taking on any one of these roles.

I take many things from Age of Chimes. Among them is the notion that time passes quickly and we can't go back. Two, that while we start out wanting one thing from a relationship, that want can change into looking for something we need. Age of Chimes features great dialog as well as a satisfying, if melancholy ending. But you'll recognize it, because we've all been there. One of the best lines: "Says the man in the kimono."

Having heard Empty Night read at the Midwest Dramatists Conference, I'm now ready to see a full production with Tiger fully embodied onstage. The play asks important questions about who is entitled to what, and to what lengths they can go to get what they need. Both Tiger and Thief must survive to take care of their families-- read Empty Night to see who makes the greatest sacrifice and why.

Apple had me laughing, groaning, and nodding in recognition. And I'm not even in academia. The twist midway through sends this play in a surprising direction that includes a terrific monologue for Tom, the tenure-track professor. But both roles offer substantial opportunities to two lucky actors. Apple has many more readings and productions ahead of it.