Recommended by Ken Love

Alright! Now it's my turn to give this piece a heartfelt recommendation. While reading "A Tragedy of Owls", I was reminded of Kosinski's "The Painted Bird", Arthur Miller's "Incident at Vichy" and Harold Pinter's "One For The Road", visions of a historical past or a dystopian "present" that, like Mr. Mabey's short play, are all too frighteningly relevant today. This is the 2nd work of John Mabey's that I have read. I'm certainly looking forward to indulging in more!

Many have stepped up to recommended this brief, lovely and tender work. Frankly, I don't know if there's anything more I could add. Except for the fact that I'm so happy I got to read it. And would love to have the fortune in seeing it performed. A family snap-shot with a small tear at the corner. Nicely done, Miss Arianna!

What do we have here? A melodramatic crime story with a touch of surrealism, horror and theater of the absurd. I remain a sucker for writers who dare to mix genres, then have the skill to make such an admixture work! Oh, and let's not forget the element of wit throughout. That's the secret sauce, if you will, that gives this piece its extra kick. Mr. Soltero-Brown is yet another fellow playwright on my list who needs to be read, analyzed, debated and enjoyed. Kudos!!!

Honesty of expression, of the bald-faced and brutal type, is usually achieved by an artist after years of hard, difficult, heartbreaking work . . . after having lived for many hard, difficult and heartbreaking years. Debra A. Cole's "Grace" has not even the slightest hint of artifice or posture. The experience recounted by the character has been lived and breathed. And it was all done with such brevity that it made me envious. Nice work, Debra!

It's deceptively light-hearted. Clever. And sticks like a fish bone in ones throat. Many writers have tackled and will continue to attempt to create work dealing with "end-of-world" themes. Yet few, to my mind, will ever have the talent to write something that is truly effective. And I'm such a sucker for writers who have the cajones to turn Biblical stories inside-out! Nice job, Mr. Norkin. I look forward to reading more of your work!

Being such a 20th-Century-men-and-women-Bogart-and-Bacall kind of guy, I will always welcome with enthusiatically open arms any well written work that allows me to explore this "new" world, peopled with compelling, humanistic and complex individuals, a world which - due to my upbringing - was kept hidden and out of touch. The dialogue in "Little Black Dress" is the best thing about this short work because, from beginning to end, it dances on the periphery. And the ending will have you clutching your heart. I look forward to reading more work by John Mabey!

An intriguing, devastating snapshot of a subject that is still, unfortunately, all too relevant. I admire how the writer got her point across with brevity and aplomb. And I look forward to reading more of her work!

I can't dismiss this piece. Nor can I get it out of my head. I see the actors onstage standing before a huge backdrop of a torn, tattered and stained American flag. The actors stand in dim lighting and hurl the words the author has written at the audience like poisoned darts. This is definitely a work for our time. I can wait to read Act 2!!!

Brevity is the soul of wit. As well as the "soul" in the expression of pain. In this small snap-shot, Mr. Donnelly gives us a woman who expresses herself in short brush strokes, and leaves us with an affecting portrait. I, as a writer, need to learn from this playwright. Oh, yeah! If you can compress what can be performed in a 2 act play into a two minute piece and make it just as compelling - please! Opt for the 2 minutes!

A juicy, tempting short work that I'd love to see staged. Or on TV! Oh, yes! Hitchcock would adore it!