Recommended by John Busser

I was so pleasantly surprised that this play, in not trying to go for a weird twist, but just playing it straight (however weird THAT sounds considering how it ends), ends up sticking the landing for me. What a fun little play!

A quiet but powerful piece that presents an interesting view of what constitutes a fulfilling life. I loved the idea that people who look happy waiting for the birds in the park are anything but. I also liked how well developed the characters were. Coming from opposite ends of the spectrum but having complex thoughts and feelings, rather than superficial and stereotypical traits, they come across as more alike than they would like to think they are, and are therefore more real for it.

Fast-paced, frantic and funny AF, Doug DeVita's ode to office politics and advertising reads like a screwball comedy with Tourette's. I thought the characters were delightful and the story perfect for inventive staging. And I now need to find a reason to call someone a "swamp donkey." That was the funniest thing I read all day. Terrific job, Doug!

This is an amazing piece of writing from Stephen Spotswood. Both infinite in scope and touching in it’s intimacy, the play works on so many levels, I was both sad to see it end, yet relieved to not have to watch these people go through the worst experience imaginable. This deserves to be seen on the stage.

My heart was in my mouth while reading this. An amazing display of tension-filled writing. This piece keeps you on the edge of your seat while the conversation never gets out of control. Even when you know the characters eventually will.

I was NOT expecting the raw power behind the imagery created here by Victoria Daly. It was upsetting (AND MOST DEFINITELY SHOULD BE). What's terrifying about the monologue is that this is the type of logic actually used by people now to justify a grossly unfair and prejudicial system. This is an important piece of theater.

You ever think about what goes through the mind of a golf course gator? Well, wonder no more and just read this fun little monologue from Matt Weaver. I would get a kick out of seeing this produced with a night of golf-centric short pieces. What a great way to lead off the evening or end the first act by having this lumbering beast come out and chew the scenery. Somebody do this!

What a charming little battle of words between two people with opposing points of view on how life is to be lived. As the battle lines are drawn, you see these two venture out of their comfort zones to meet in a (well-read) clash of ideologies. All's fair in love and war, and the characters in Vivian Lermond's piece make it all fun and absorbing too.

What is it about the underdog we love so much? It's the do-or-die spirit that we identify with, wishing we could be that determined, that unyielding. We're taken through the setup, the fight and the denouement in a satisfying knock out punch of a monologue of a palooka named "Lefty" who nobody had faith in but himself. I loved this piece.

So what is it about the underdog we love so much?
Vivian Lermond captures it perfectly.

This had me from the get-go. I loved the setup (and how prescient!) of a romantic thriller set in a time of chaos and uncertainty. The play also lets the characters play out the story like some bizarre, screwball comedy with germ warfare as the backdrop. I loved it.