Recommended by Ken Love

I just love it when a political comedy works. And the comic expert Bruce Karp has done it again with "Big Beautiful Bill", an ascerbic comedy with just a hint of satire. And the fact that the piece features believable, dimensioned characters doesn't hurt either. Nicely done, Bruce!

A short, sweet and achingly funny play told from the waitresses point of view. What I find so appealing about Marj O'Neill-Butler's "Keeping Score" is how it avoids cliche as well as the dreaded "pat" ending. Delightfully humorous with just the touch of an edge. Nice!

I had the wonderful good fortune to read this monologue at a virtual meeting. Steven G. Martin's "I, Voyager 1 (a monologue)" is a sci-fi parable that has the edge of tragedy. I am reminded of HAL 9000 from Kubricks "2001", without - of course - the killer instinct. I even took the time to read the piece again on my own. Beautifully done, Steve!

A piece that deals in an uncompromising way with those pesky end-of-life issues. As someone who is currently dealing with a loved one is who experiencing a similar ordeal, "Don't Look at Me Like That" hit so close to home that I feel the impact physically.

The sins of the father . . . or, fear of the knock upon the door that the father never contended with now worries the mind of the son. Anyone who has had to deal with father-son issues will relate in a gut-wrenching way to Marj O'Neill-Butler's "Ingrown Fear". The subtext that burns beneath this piece is nearly unbearable. Kudos!

Thank you, Marj O'Neill-Butler, for rendering such an incisive monologue. "She Wanted Me (a monologue)" is bitter, unapologetically angry and heart-rending, without a single shred of melodrama. And that requires skill. I look forward to reading more of this writers work.

Josh Gauthier's "On The Edge" is a clever, engaging ride of a piece. It hooks you, then holds you in its grip, even after the final line is read. And the twist is so well hidden in the characters rant that its artful. Utterly so. A fine monologue that makes its point wholly in the moment.

In Asher Wyndham's "Navy Wife: A Monologue", the character of the wife - in delivering a frenzied, desperate stream of consciousness rant in preparation for an evacuation - succeeds remarkably as the underpinning of this taut, heart wrenching piece. I was with it from start to finish. A performance by a highly capable actress is what this work cries out for. Kudos!

I was not only fortunate to be present at the reading of this incisive, well written monologue, but I just happened to be picked to do the actual reading. And what an experience it was! Rich Helms' "Taking Turns Holding On - Monologue" works because of the utter immediacy of the piece, and for the fact that it avoids melodrama and delves head-first into the vicissitudes of mortality. Well done, Mr. Helms!

A touch of Alfred Hitchcock, black humor and the macabre, as well as generous portions of Julie Brandon's unique wit and skill. I read "Tough Luck - A Monologue" with relish, from beginning to end. It was unfortunate that I missed the live reading of this work, surley by Ms Brandon herself. Lucky that I have the actually piece to read again, if I so choose. And how I love a well written monologue!