Recommended by John Busser

There are 2 games going on in Marcia Eppich-Harris' delightful short play, and only one of them is fun (for the participants, that is). While their sons battle it out on the diamond, 2 fathers have a much more personal battle going on. One who takes things personally, and the other doing his best to keep it IMpersonal. With witty dialogue split between the two events, one on the other off the field, the game could go either way. Take me out... to the theater to see this one.

We watch an actor tread through a minefield of self doubt over his body image. The director has her vision, and the actor is worried about everyone else's vision of him. An interesting dilemma, and one that is eminently relatable. Hank Kimmel has hit upon something here about our need to present art, but being tempered by our insecurity in how we, the presenters of that art, will be perceived. Intimacy, whether between 2 people or an actor and audience, means opening yourself up to possible ridicule. It's not easy, is it?

I always get a kick out of Evan's work, and this is no exception. Not his usual fare (I'm used to his horror pieces) and I have to say, I need to see more of his work off the dark path. He has an ear for dialogue that rings true (which can be exceptionally hard when writing teenagers, especially teens from different eras) and I's love to see where this story goes. We just took one hell of a U-turn in Romeo's story, and I have a feeling there's a rougher ride ahead. Terrific.

There's justice in the world, after all! Thanks Dana. As someone who has been to a fair share of carnivals in my youth, I wondered why I could never win a prize at these games. Now I know. But luckily, sometimes, someone does the right thing for the right reason, even if it's just a couple of weighted milk bottles. We all win the prize here, seeing this play out.

As someone who once crushed a piece of (fake) coal into a diamond ring to give to someone (wearing my Superman shirt of course), I couldn't help but be tickled by Vivian Lermond's wonderful short piece about love and other hidden gems. How can you not root for these two fully realized characters when Vivian's dialogue makes you truly believe they've been together for 25 years. 5 minutes of onstage bliss.

Philip Middleton Williams hits the bullseye closer than Green Arrow ever could with this nostalgic look back to the comics of old and the amazing page of ads that promised you colonies of sea monkeys, seeing the bones of your hand (and possibly through the clothes of your crushes) and most importantly, an end to beach bullies with your own Free! Powerful Muscles Fast! With an eye for detail and the pitch-perfect logic of youth, Philip gives us a character who knows life's biggest mystery, your libido, can be solved if you just send in that coupon today! Terrific writing.

I have never looked at infidelity the way Chris Soucy does here and I'll bet you haven't either. It's a deliciously naughty take on affairs that makes so much sense. A different kind of "booty" from a different kind of pirate. And no, there are no pirates in this. It's someone just like you and me. And that's the draw here. We're all capable of this kind of thing. Maybe some of us have our own "buried treasure" that we measure our worth from. A smart monologue with hidden depth.

I love me a good, silly comedy and this fits the bill as perfectly as the random generator inspired names for the characters in Christopher Soucy's tale of science gone wrong. The absurdity flies fast and furious and yet, in today's world, I have a feeling he hits the mark a lot more often than not. I wonder who'll be the first to bring the dreaded Chupa-Burger to market?

A gentle comedy of awkwardness and family relationships, Jack the Stripper gives us a mother and her two children trying to come to terms with how the kids make ends meet. With great interactions of the characters and a premise that promises some belly laughs (at least for the audiences that might want to watch a sexy cop and a bottle of chocolate sauce), this would be a fun piece to see staged.

The funniest thing I've read today, evoking Monty Python absurdity, Loony Tunes logic and three of the sharpest tacks any conqueror has ever stepped on. A brilliant piece of comedy.