Recommended by Asher Wyndham

A disturbing, haunting short play, one of the best gun protest plays I've read. In only six-pages, fragmented voices from different points in time, different experiences of gun violence in American education are brought together. A work that should be performed in cities across the U.S., on stage with community speakers, students, parents, all fighting for change and for justice for all those children lost to mass shootings.

A stellar monologue for an Asian teen actor - who might be struggling just like Stan Lee with finding his voice, his calling in life, while being pressured by parents to choose a certain career. "...don't stand in my spotlight. I'm still exploring my superpowers..." I look forward to reading more monologues by Lucy Wang!

I recommend not reading the synopsis, witness this story like an audience member, like a ghost just like Anna. The authentic voice of this teenager Anna immediately grabs your attention and later breaks your heart. The description of Anna on stage and later by the double doors...--I read it with my hand over my mouth. A necessary monologue that should be part of any theatre event on gun violence.

Rachael Carnes is one of my favorite writers on New Play Exchange. It would be a mistake to overlook her plays when choosing a play for a festival or showcase. Her range of styles, characters, and language is impressive. Any committed couple who has spent an evening in a questionable hotel room could relate to the couple in Carnes' funny play. Carnes shows her skills as a comedic writer through banter, sarcasm, and passive aggressive behavior, capturing in ten minutes a decade-long relationship that feels so real.

If you're a lonely heart looking for love and maybe lust, then you probably could relate to loser Sonya. From being swept off her feet to sudden romance with the perfect boyfriend to the arguing and the breaking up - Levine's genius concept covers a long-term relationship's worth of events - in 10 minutes of stage time! Bust-a-gut-funny! Another gem from one of America's greatest - maybe the greatest - playwrights of the short play form.

This is so much fun! The fun during the first half is figuring out what kind of team these players on - is it football? Math? And then, a few clues, and then bam, the reveal (not giving it away) and the unexpected showdown known as 'embrochure'. Parodying the language of bros and jocks, Hageman creates a one-of-a-kind comedy examining and buffooning masculinity.

I had the opportunity of seeing a production in Minneapolis in 2016. A non-linear wild ride through the relationship of Max and Di, who start out as childhood friends and end up inevitably as soul mates. Fraught with intensity, with a lot of drinking, this friendship is so fully realized, it's unlike any other friendship I've seen on stage because so much is covered in a span of two decades. Not knowing what to expect from a new scene (chronologically out of order) would captivate any audience. It's the kind of the play that will certainly break your heart.

Weaver's plays are delightful, they make you smile, they enlarge the heart - probably because the writer is hopeful about the human race. This monologue, just right for a Valentine's Day showcase, is a perfect example of what I'm talking about. The unusual character of 'Smackeroo' - the first kiss shared by some couple - yes, you read that right - not a human being - showcases Weaver's wonderfully wacky creativity. I look forward to more monologue plays from Weaver.

Brilliant. Perfectly structured with its past and present scenes with fluid transitions. An accessible, conversation-starting play for audiences now and in the future. Could be a future classic play on climate change. Highly recommended! Stage it on Earth Day!

Hey, theatres. Producing a short play festival or a 24 hr one? Then give playwright Matthew Weaver an opportunity to write something and he'll fully commit to the challenge - and the result will something wacky, totally unexpected, and a lot of fun for actors! Take this play as an example. This silly play may make you wonder not just about future time travel, but also about how your mind returns to childhood like it's time traveling to the past. Do you long for something lost, some joy like high school nachos?