Recommended by Ken Love

Jennifer O'Grady, with "Please Exit the Horse", has given us a lovely short parable of two anthropomorphic horses conversing (or "chewing the cud"?) about their personal vicissitudes. I mentioned lovely as opposed to being cute or twee. And therein lies the beauty of this piece. Nicely done!

My man from Japan Morey Norkin has given us a rich and highly laughable inside joke with "Santa Noir". It's like sketch comedy on silly pills. And a wonderful way to ring in (or ring out) the holidays! Well done, my friend. (BTW - the title was MY "Secret Santa" gift idea!)

As unsettling as anything written by Kafka (yes, "The Metamorphosis" comes to mind) with writing and a hellish predicament that even Rod Serling couldn't touch, Daniel Prillaman's "ydnaM" held me in its hard, infernal grip from beginning to end. Please let me know when there is a live performance of this piece.

Eastern philosophy teaches that death is not the end of life, but a function of life. With each play that I read which in some way deals with what occurs after this "life", I am intrigued and deeply moved at how distinctive and individual each interpretation is. Christian St. Croix, with "Follow the Fireflies", has given me yet another glimpse into a personalized world. Propelled by the tragedy of racism. Well done!

Tony Tambasco's "Battleground State" is a snapshot of a future we can only pray is not realized. The piece is wholly in the moment and chooses not to answer any questions. Which makes it all the more chilling in its immediacy. Incisive dialogue propelled by vivid characters. Well done!

What begins as a parable on the effects and the nature of bullying ends as a psychological mind-game on the makings of a serial killer. Scott Sickles' "My Gift To You Is Peace" works in its own unique way in being a preface to the real horror which is to come, perpetrated by a character who, through coercion, has any semblance of empathy drained out of him. This is horror. Pure and simple.

It is utterly refreshing to find a playwright who can craft a slice-of-life comedy and avoid triteness or banality. "Coming Back To Life" is enjoyable from beginning to end in the best possible way, with characters in the autumn of their lives who embrace the final days of their journey with humor. Highly believable, yet never dark. Kudos!

"Big Moment" by Bruce Karp is such a heartbreaking, incisive piece. It has the advantage of brevity. And Mr. Karp's talent is such that he can pack an entire evenings worth of theatricality and feeling into this small moment. It can only be as beautiful in performance as it was to read.

Yes, there is a nod to "Alfred Hithcock Presents", and to the pulp suspense and detective stories of the 1930's and 1940's. And then, I suspect that there is a great deal inherent in this piece that is Bruce Karp's very own. "A Good Story", indeed. Aptly named.

Frat parties, colleges, high schools . . . perfect cockpits for horror. And Daniel Prillaman with "What All the Girlies Are Doing In There" squeezes every ounce of terror, comedy and irony for a finely wrought tale of teen longing and insecurity. A different take on the horror genre, indeed. And well done, at that!