Recommended by John Busser

12.05.25 - Wow... That was intense. Brian Cern has crafted a nightmare scenario unfortunately not too far off from where we're at now frankly, and I was holding my breath as I read it. The twist here really hits hard as we are made to realize everybody has a price even as some human beings are shown to be worthless. THis was riveting stuff here and well deserving of a production.

11.28.25 - I love the in-world explanation for the title here as it adds just a little extra touch of absurdity to what amounts to two friends "horsing around", pondering their lot in life. Jennifer O'Grady has written a fun (if challenging for the costumer) play about learning to live and love the life you get, and I can't think of a better pair of workhorses to bring it to us.

11.28.25 - There's a palpable sense of dreaded inevitability here as Ray and Nick head towards what could be a very unpleasant destination for Ray. Even as we (and Nick) find out the reason, we in the audience can't help but feel some small measure of sympathy for him. Ken Love humanizes a man guilty of sexual assault even as we are repulsed by his deeds. And to have it take place on Christmas Eve just adds a sense of irony here. This was compelling.

11.27.25 - A wonderfully witty ten minute piece from Kristin Olinger with a title that can mean many things. Here though, I like to think Maddie is the unstoppable force rolling her way through life like a boulder along the future path of Rt 66. Rick meanwhile becomes his own sort of immovable object, not allowing anything to dampen his hope in the belief of a world in which that boulder did what he said it did. When these 2 meet, we get magic on stage.

11.27.25 - Oh God, this was heart-breaking. DC Cathro has written a truly powerful play about loss and dealing with grief by those left in the wake of tragedy. Some are able to build new paths forward while others... just aren't ready to do so. This was real, raw and painful to bear, but yet, we are left with some hope that people CAN forge ahead, while still honoring those we left in the past. Thanks for this, DC.

11.27.25 - Oh, I love time travel stories and this one was a doozy. Playing with cause and effect can be dizzying, but Kyle Walked pulls it off flawlessly. I had no trouble following the action (and pre-actions, reactions and inactions) the characters went through. I'd love to see an audience's take on this. I'll bet no two people would have the same reaction to this, which is wonderful.

11.26.25 - We tend to look at wrestlers as these larger-than-life muscle-bound monsters who are able to take folding chairs to the head and body slams into ringside tables, but we don't get to see them fight the real fights of life. Like battling age, obsolescence, and the responsibilities that come with marriage and fatherhood. Brent Alles gives us a real fight, with real stakes and it won't be a pay-per-view event. These characters are compelling and the injuries they inflict are all too real.

11.26.25 - Oh WOW! That's how you do eerie! I loved this short by David Hilder. You think it's going to be a story about helping others and then it just... turns. And turns hard. I don't know what the old woman was, or if Heather will now become that. Please write a follow up, David. So I can sleep tonight...

11.26.25 - WHOA! That took a turn! Robert Weibezahl has crafted a nightmare encounter where the nightmare seems to be over only for you to realize you never woke up and it's even worse than you thought. The setup was perfectly structured and I can only wonder what happened on page 8 of this 7 page play. Or maybe I don't want to know. This was intense.

11.26.25 - In a much-too-noisy, busy world, it's nice to have a place to retreat to for quiet solitude and contemplation. The characters here find that place in a church. More important, however, they find connection. That's something that, for all the hustle and bustle of our daily interactions, is hard to do. Julie Brandon creates a scene of tranquility and shared human experience that frankly, we could all use more of.