Recommended by Nora Louise Syran

I had the good fortune to listen to a reading of this short play during the pandemic when we were all feeling like we were "circling the tank." It was entirely fitting then and equally so now with its focus on mental health. Dark, satirical and full of humor. It was one of the first ten minute plays I'd heard in a reading and I'm glad to see it here on NPX. Brava.

A lovely story of two handmaidens who are left behind in the "wind and saltwater of [an] isle" to piece together the story of Ariadne's flight with Theseus, the murder of the Minotaur and the disappearance of Icarus and his father. I especially enjoyed Eva's plunder of Daedalus's laboratory and the staging/props possibilities here. A fascinating study of the threads that exist between us--as tenuous and complicated as the threads holding together the very myths which inspired this piece. Brava.

Take a vicarious road trip across the United States of America with Claudia Haas. From a bizarre marriage proposal in Alabama, moose lip fixations in Alaska, lucid dreaming (?) in Arizona, coal under pressure in Arkansas, abstract love in California, briny-less tasting oysters in Colorado, sailing Santas in Mystic, Connecticut, being aware in Delaware, facing fears in Florida...

...bickering over homophones in Georgia, honeymooning in Hawai’i, deadly dating in Idaho, nitpicking pizza in Illinois, love, love, loving in Indiana, tiptoeing through the tulips in Iowa, looking for yellow brick roads in Kansas, bubbling up trouble in Kentucky, feeling amazingly alive in Louisiana and perfectly grounded in Maine, match-making in Maryland, bewitching in Massachusetts, noting the passing of time in upper Michigan...

...being mindful in Minnesota, making mud babies in Mississippi, calling fair not foul in Missouri, remembering in Montana, getting corny in Nebraska, breaking down in Nevada, moving on in New Hampshire, committing to kale in New Jersey, roasting chilies in New Mexico, achieving an impressionistic state of mind in New York, conscience climate changing in North Carolina...

...shifting perspectives in the golden hour of North Dakota, squirreling around in Ohio, owning your name in Oklahoma, llama-drama-ing in Oregon, going high on the hog in Pennsylvania, rescuing in Rhode Island, beginning a new in South Carolina, reconciling in a field of sunflowers in South Dakota, singing in Tennessee, running from killer tumbleweeds in Texas (where bigger is not always better)...

...watching the heavens open up in Utah, vacationing in Vermont, digging in the sand and slurping down your food in Virginia, part time therapy-ing in Washington, southern comfort eating in West Virginia, considering the quackery of the World Wide Web in Wisconsin, discussing death by buffalo in Wyoming (squishing the bipeds!) and watching a springtime sunrise in Washington DC. This collection of short plays is sure to delight all audiences.

A very human human resource director directs a mother to not only ensuring a bright future for her son, but one for herself as well. A solid, straightforward short play... with a Debra A. Cole twist. Two mature female actors will enjoy bringing these characters to life.

DC Cathro's use of imagery is pure poetry-natural and gritty. This piece is clear, simple and profoundly human. Love this. Bravo, DC for its inclusion at the Valdez Conference in Alaska!

I cried. I lie. I weeped. Hall so expertly captures the contrast between what we think we know about a person and what is really going on inside of them. The depth of grief this woman has faced and yet how superficial she seems on the surface is so very well done. This short play is a powerful reminder of how being kind to one another, to strangers, to our loved ones, and most especially to our partners is essential at any time of the year.