Recommended by Cherielyn Ferguson

Watercolors never lets you down. It's engaging from start to finish as it introduces us to real people in complicated relationships. These characters navigate through memories that are both warmly and unhappily recalled, taking us on a journey we think we see the end of only to have it take an unexpected turn. The play features four excellent parts for men, and calls for a set as elaborate or as simple as you want to make it. Any audience will find its time well spent with this play.

I was fortunate to see Rossum's Robot Truckers performed this spring in Pear Slices, produced by the Pear Theatre. The world the play threatens us with is even closer now and this is a chilling illustration of that. I was engaged the entire time by the back and forth between the researcher and the trucker about to lose his livelihood. This one will make you think . . .

Welcome to the Club offers a very entertaining slice of life, full of musings and theories about love and the loss of it. But there's more: significant realizations on the part of two women who attached themselves to the same man. There are three excellent roles for women and one for a man who will be called upon to do his best acting without saying a word. Smart, true-to-life dialog puts the cherry on the top of this worthy addition to any program of short plays.

This is a play you can’t look away from, even if you wanted to--which you will not. Take Me Away speaks to all of us as it examines how we rationalize our most (in hindsight) questionable, even dangerous decisions. If the most successful plays invite us to ask ourselves what we would do, this play asks that in capital letters. You’ll be thinking and talking about Take Me Away well after its end.

I was totally absorbed in The Raft during its reading at the 2025 Valdez Theatre Conference. Is it a prequel to The Tempest? A very original offshoot with invented characters? It’s certainly the latter in which we watch the invented characters of Phillip and Fernando expertly take us on a journey from Phillip’s imposed destiny to one he chooses for himself. Add in Phillip’s troublemaking mother, Galene, and you’ll find three roles that actors will find compelling and rewarding.

This grandma in Reindeer Games-- she's a character and a half. Through her grandchildren, we learn enough about her to want to know even more. If you're looking for a holiday play that strays entertainingly from the Hallmark path, then select Reindeer Games for well-placed humor that contributes to a deeper story. Grandma really does get run over by a reindeer, and that's the incident that starts this family on a path to new relationships. I hope there's a sequel in the works.

Once Plan Z gets going, it doesn't let up. The reading at the 2025 Valdez Theatre Conference kept us riveted as we watched three frightening election-deniers demand that a Pennsylvania poll official confess to having overseen a fraudulent election. Well-developed roles for four actors make this a wise choice for theatres looking to program meaningful plays that explore the political straits we find ourselves in today. Plan Z is short, but it packs a serious gut-punch.

Prayer Circle checks every box:
Is it about something important? Yes.
Is it entertaining? Yes — wildly so.
Does it ask us the question so many great plays ask, which is — what would we do in this situation? Yes.
Are the roles distinct and rich and is the humor character-driven? Yes.
Is there a gasp-inducing moment we never saw coming? Yes.
My response to Prayer Circle is, YES, on every count possible.

This is a compelling story of two boys who are not meant to be friends, but find each other during a long-ago summer. In a skillful weaving of past and present, the direction of their relationship is hinted at in ever-broadening strokes until we're presented with a tragic outcome. I was absorbed throughout, held in suspense about what would happen to these two engaging young men. Character-driven humor leavens this sober story, told through well-defined roles actors will be thrilled to take.

This play is riveting from beginning to end. It starts as a puzzle: who are these people to each other? As it delves into their relationship, more questions are presented that keep us engaged until the very end to learn the answers. The title has a startling significance that sticks with us and forces us to reflect on the probable outcomes of abusive and violent relationships. As an added bonus, 750% offers two outstanding opportunities for actors to show their stuff.