Recommended by Ken Love

I can relate to this wicked tale because of my oppressive Pentacostal upbringing. Every nuance and inflection conjures a tinge of recognition. That's not to say that it wasn't enjoyable. On the contrary, I now feel an urgent need to see this monologue performed. Terrifying, with just a proper dose of wit.

Visceral. Unnerving. Unsettling. And that's just from a reading. I can only imagine how gripping this piece would be in the hands of a capable actor who, having committed wholly to the play, gives a performance that burns in the memory. Believable from beginning to end.

Oh, yeah! "A Blast" was . . . a blast! And I got the joke. Great set up. Wonderful exchanges. And I stayed with it during the entire ride. Paul Smith - you write terrific dialogue, sir! Kudos!!

Like the humor of Jules Feiffer, "Unaccompanied Minor" pokes fun at a realistic situation and, at the same time, is unafraid to stare into the abyss. Ably handled, through and through with dialogue that - as is usually the case with Debra A. Cole's work - stings.

As an actor, I've done "Othello" twice! I've also done the King of France in "Henry V", Shylock in "The Merchant of Venice", the friar in "Much Ado About Nothing", Antipholus of Syracuse in "Comedy of Errors", Brutus in "Julius Caesar", et al. Yet the closest I ever got to 'the Dane' was playing Claudius in a disastrous production of - yes, "Hamlet". It goes without saying that I felt every ounce of this characters pain and regret. And - to add insult to injury - I read the damned play TWICE! Mr. Smith struck a vital nerve. Kudos!

A crime story, a comment on the temptation of celebrity, and broad strokes of social commentary. And let's not forget drama and - above all - strong characterization which, ultimately, drives this piece. Coming from a Pentecostal background, there was so much in "To Tread Among Serpents" that I readily (and painfully) recognized. This play engaged me from beginning to end. Nicely done, Kelly!

I sense a subtle - or not so subtle - thread of anger bubbling between the exchanges of this on-edge couple. And that's what makes this piece work so well. I can envision two actors getting immersed and crazed in the staccato dialogue. Well done!

With a nod to Sam Shepard's "True West" and Athol Fugard's "Blood Knot", Christian St. Croix shows, with "We Are The Forgotten Beasts", that he is an immense theater talent who must be reckoned with. Each of the four characters - especially the brothers - live and speak from a place of dark, nearly debilitating pain, and their phantasmagorical reveries are cathartic in their impact. This is a highly engaging work. And I look forward to reading more of this young man's plays.

This marvelous play has been around for awhile. So I know that I'm more than a little late to the party. But for what it's worth, let me say that it is truly rare to experience a work so honest and so utterly raw in its emotional expression. It grips you relentlessly, even moments after the reading is finished. I can only imagine the effect of a live performance. Well done!

A satire written for our time. And this young lady nails it. What makes Dawn Branch's "LMK" work is the fact that the humor - in verse, by the way - stings, not so much because it's funny, but due to the fact that its based so squarely in reality. And is so effortlessly told. Nice work, Dawn!