Recommended by David Templeton

Layered with sadness, humor and a touch mystery, this brief look into the lives of a retired couple is like a neat little hat trick, Employing a bit of skillful misdirection to make us stink. The story is about one thing - the curious actions of a neighbor who won’t go into her house, when is actually about something entirely different: the shooting shifting relationship of the long-married couple who has been occupied with watching her. And for good measure, there’s a harmonica.

For nearly two decades, I happily reviewed theater in Sonoma County, and to this day, Rebecca Louise Miller’s "Capacity" (at Main Stage West theater) remains one of the most emotionally satisfying theatrical experiences I enjoyed during those years. Gorgeously written, tenderly structured and at times bracingly surreal, this "cosmic anti–love story" (to borrow a line from my 2016 review) is honest, insightful, pleasantly strange and compellingly lovely and, yes, even a bit romantic.

I saw this play in 2012, in Sonoma County. I still think of it from time to time. In this powerful, yet frequently funny examination of grief, regret and resilience, Miller's storytelling and smart dialogue provide juicy stuff for the actors to make a meal of, while remaining sensitive to the lingering pain of the real-life tragedy that inspired the play. If you can, read it, see it, produce and/or perform it. And do check out Miller's remarkable play "Capacity," which I've also seen on stage.

This laugh-out-loud, super-short charmer is incredibly funny, and even pointedly (and a bit wickedly) insightful. After reading it, I Googled the author to see if she’s ever written for Saturday Night Live. This is a perfectly punchy little Valentine’s Day gem.

‘The True Meaning of Christmas’ is one twisted little delight of a play. It’s so funny I had to read it a second time … out loud … to my family, who could not stop laughing. Ironically, now I want there to be an actual Escape From the North Pole experience at my local mall. I would actually go to that. And vampire reindeer? Bring ‘em on! This one is hilarious.

Wow! This is as unsettling as it is riveting. Ortiz has packed the elegant structure of her storytelling with oddly specific and interesting details, and an escalating tension that builds to a literal storm of nightmarish choices. Through all that, it never fails to be entertaining and, at times, genuinely delightful. The monstrous future described in "Honey Bee Baby" is seeded with small potent touches of humor, and even a few promises of genuine hope.

Clever, funny, packed with unexpected revelations and deeply moving, this show - which I saw in Sonoma County - is as full of rich ideas as it is overflowing with genuine emotional truth.

Some plays are as much fun to tell people about later as they are to read or watch. "Concordance" is one of those. I can't stop talking about this, especially with other folks who know their way around a cleverly quoted scripture. A rich blend of historical fiction and fantastical ecclesiastical exploration, Minigan's twisty two-act drama, set in an 18th century madhouse, uses hallucination as flashback to spectacular effect. Would love to see a fully-costumed production of this one.

I had the pleasure of seeing this play last year in Northern California, and then read the script just for fun. Both are equally entertaining experiences. This is a satisfying blend of astute literary homage and pleasantly-thrilling ghost-focused storytelling, with loads of heart and some very clever word play.
Though I suppose this might play better at Halloween then at other times, I have to point out that indelible storytelling such as this, whether based on Edgar Allan Poe, Stephen King, Shirley Jackson or Washington Irving, tends to be popular all year long.

This is a tight, fast-paced little gem of a play. Brutally realistic, it downloads facts and context so expertly, through a conversation fueled by a rapidly escalating tension, we barely know we’re learning something along the way. Fantastic last second twist. I loved this.