Recommended by Ken Love

Sure, we all love ice cream. And we all, from time to time, find ourselves lost in our memories. Evan Baughfman's "Erstwhilw" does just what it needs to do in a very short amount of time. A play that deals with uniques tastes and unique memories.

Part elfin fantasy, part comic fantasy, part romantic comedy (sure! Why not?). Vince Gatton's remarkable take on the "Erstwhile" title is wholly original and engaging from beginning to end. There was even a bit of a moralty tale thrown in. Beautifully done!

A beautifully crafted interior monologue, a stream-of-consciousness confessional, a delicate portrait rendered with subtlety and pain. Steven G. Martin's "Erstwhile [a monologue]" settled into my mind like a lovely midwestern musical interlude as I read it. Nicely done!

A love story featuring two people who happen to be from the wrong side of the tracks (sort of) is, in my view, a well-worn trope that just may have had its day in the theater and in Hollywood. However, having read Jacquelyn Reingold's "They Float Up", I must happily eat my words. Ms Reingold has taken this form by the scruff of its neck and has given it fresh and vivid life. The characters are dimensioned, believable and carry the story efforlessly from beginning to end. How I'd love to see this work in performance!

This monologue is so real and is rendered with such utter truth that it is nearly unbearable to read, just as it would to see performed. And it took enormous self confidence on the part of the author, Paul Braverman, to pen such a work. Powerful, heartbreaking, necessary. Kudos!

Yes, there are real, dimensioned people inhabiting the tiny world of this play. Characters so real that one can only be lulled by their beating hearts. In the case of the main character, a heart on the verge of breaking. Aly Kantor's "Erstwhile (or, The Prime Cut)" is a vivid, rapturous snapshot of a play that can only serve as a great ride for actors and audiences alike.

I'll say it yet again: Georgia Xanthopoulou is a magically compelling writer. Her "Erstwhile" is powerful commentary on the Greek myth. The line "Fair is the earth, Fairer when you lose it" . . . takes you away on a sensual journey. Beautifully done, Georgia!

A tortured love letter that rises to the level of an ode . . . to be sung. Scott Sickles "Erstwhile (a Bascom and Isaac monologue)" will hold you in its sweet embrace from beginning to end. I would love to see this performed.

I could only get caught up in the narrative of this beautiful piece as it was being read. Nora Louise Syran's "Erstwhile or The Importance of Being Ernst Weil" speaks of a certain horrible time long past, yet sits with a damning recognition in our time as well.

This is my kind of story, my kind of play. With a nod to Jim Thompson, Richard Stark and Elmore Leonard, Ryan Kaminski's "Erstwhile - 10 Minute Play" was riveting from beginning to end. And the ending wraps everything up like a well dressed wound. Kudos, my friend!