Recommended by Ken Love

The best theater works as metaphor. Great theater, on the other hand, ascends to the level of parable. "The Middleman" is a short work of biting comedy, yes. But it's also filled with insite and wisdom. A foreboding wisdom, if you will. A cautionary tale of epic proportions. Must be seen!

This short, incisive piece is like a feast for an actress with a ravenouse theatrical appetite, a feast waiting to be devoured in one visceral sitting. Reading this work is fulfilling enough. But to see it performed by a highly capable actress would be a cherished experience. Nicely done yet again, Madam Rachel!!!

As I read "An Audience of One", I felt the threnody of pain and isolation embodied in this work by each of the characters, who carry multitudes despite the brevity of their execution. The "outburst" from the Hero is a showstopper and a cry from a soul perpetually lost in an urban wilderness. Nicely done!

Part of why the elements of horror and nightmare work so well in Debra A. Cole's "Dream House" is that everything about the play is couched so snugly in the banalities of real life. Nevertheless, the young couple's plight is very similar to a fairy tale, in which a mundane walk through the woods (or the park) is interrupted by the encounter of a real and formidable monster. And I do not use the word "real" lightly. Highly recommended!!

Gun violence in schools. Bullying. Extremism. And the dilemma of parenting in 21st Century America. This is the living hell depicted in Michael C. O'Day's "Gun Safe". The play is suffocating in the sense that it offers no way out of its amoral conundrum. One can only imagine the impact of a live performance.

I've read and seen many dystopian, futuristic plays. And I have seen many dystopian, futuristic films. Michael C. O'Day's "An Arctic Confederate Christmas" is a dystopian, futuristic work like no other. The play has a hard grip on the senses, and raises itself to the level of parable. A play that is darkly humorous, unsettling, and so utterly relevant to our troubled times. And that's a problem!

Even in today's troubled times, few writers are willing to tackle satire, in the true sense. Michele Clarke's "Third Time's The Charm" fits the bill to perfection. Humor, irony and a relishing wickedness! George Bernard Shaw would love it!!!

This bleak, stark short play is like a razor blade to the gut. Everything about this work feels and is on edge. And Aly Kantor's play works well due a touch of wit throughout. Chilling. Damning in its poetry. Nice work!

Human beings are a mass of imperfections. And families are even messier. But, sometimes, joyfully so! With a slight nod to Beth Henley's "Crimes of the Heart" (without that plays steady gaze into the abyss), Claudia Haas gives us an intimate, touching snapshot of three Jewish sisters contending with their mother's past and the lingering shadow of her death. The inner battle that each woman wages to avoid the trappings of a tortured life is deeply felt. All that's missing is a live performance!

I am so happy to be a part of the NPX family and to have the privilege of reading so many talented and humanistic playwrights. Janine Sobeck Knighton's "Speechless" wrapped itself around my heart and refuses to let go. I've always been drawn to "dark" plays. And every so often, I will make the sojourn and visit a piece that promises healing and a song of joy. I'm so glad to have taken the off-ramp to read this wonderful play.