Recommended by John Busser

05.08.26 - I can't help but feel a connection to Solly here, the perpetual "uncle" in the family. As an uncle with 12 nephews and nieces but no kids of my own, Solly's feelings of being left behind are vividly real. What should be a life-changing event for his sister, Esther leaves him feeling less elation and more trepidation instead. Sam Heyman pushes some emotional buttons here that hit just a bit too close to home, and yet, we're left with a feeling that all will be well. Terrific writing.

05.03.26 - Bureaucracy at it's best has always been an oxymoron. Bureaucracy is NEVER at it's best, and this wonderfully bonkers 10-minute from Bear Kosik is a perfect example of why. It perfectly encapsulates the runaround nature of a government body which wants answers without actually wanting answers and turns gaslighting up to eleven with confusion, obfuscation and outright lying to ensure nobody gets what they want. This was hilarious and infuriating at the same time. But in the best way.

05.01.26 - I WISH my first foray on the stage was as delightfully bonkers as Bodie's was. I loved the mix of classics up there that any audience member has heard before, just not in this order. Brian Cern has crafted a funny piece that not only highlights an actor's life, but that of the support system they sometimes need to succeed. Give me friends like Clive and Derek and I'll be a happy thespian. Even if they violate house etiquette.

04.23.26 - A riveting monologue from Renee Schilling and Emily Czarnota chronicling the pilot Blanche Wilcox Noyez as she takes her first steps into the clouds, meeting and marrying a fellow pilot, their lighter-than-air romance and then his tragic death. Schilling and Czarnota imbue Blanche with a strong sense of determination to make her own way as a pilot even in the face of tragedy. I want to hear more.

04.23.26 - An absolutely cracking comic mystery! The aptly named Templeton Moss (who already sounds like a pseudonym) crafts an hilarious homage to English drawing room detective stories, but with so much wit and wordplay the only real mystery is why this isn't being produced daily. Smashing!

04.23.26 - Frenetic, familiar and funny as hell. Larry Rinkel hits the nail on the head here with this farcical look at corporate life funneled through the absurdity of our cut-off-your-nose-to-spite-your-face mentality of most higher-ups. Firings, job-shuffling, walk-outs, walk-ins, and all manner of buffoonery take place here, and it happens at such a break-neck pace, your head will spin faster than new hire Jeff's. I'm glad I work from home. I'd never survive the office...

04.23.26 - Ah, now THIS is my kind of ridiculous. Heroes! Villains! Death Rays! And the most insidious evil of all... tech support! James Perry hits all the right notes here, lampooning comic-book rivalry and real-world frustrations that we can all relate to. A fun piece for actors and audiences alike.

04.23.26 - Morey Norkin's work has such a deft humanistic touch to it that you can't help but be enthralled by his characters. You root for Irv and Sheila from the get go. And while Sheila, who seems like she doesn't lack for suitors, has every reason to leave Irv to his curmudgeonly ways, she's determined to wake him back up to life's possibilities, age be damned. Morey gives me hope for my own future.

04.23.26 - Ouch! And I mean that both for both Amanda's sake and everyone who's had to deal with a medical emergency in this country. Our healthcare system is in more pieces than Amanda's hand and Renee Schilling plays mad doctor here as she skewers what ridiculous hoops we have to jump through to get fixed. This is smart satire and a sad indictment of U.S. healthcare at the same time.

04.23.26 - Probably the most important, yet overlooked aspect of a relationship is that one little pronoun. Steve Martin so eloquently proves it when he includes US in learning what Win is about to by letting us experience this piece.