Recommended by John Busser

It's never too late to find love in life and also to charm an audience. Paul Smith has written a very gentle, yet moving piece about two people finding their way through life after a loss and meeting on a bench. It's simple and warmly felt. And it shows that life can keep surprising you no matter where you're at.

A wonderfully witty way to show we all hide secrets don't we? And we only like to let those special few in on it. Well, I think the smart thing to do here is wonder why Paul Smith hasn't shared this secret with us before. I could reveal the ending but I prefer to leave it a secret for now. You have to read it yourself. Or better still, produce it and let more people in on the secret that this is a charmer.

Would that we all could be remembered as lovingly as Scott Sickles remembered his friend Rick. What I liked was the specificity of it. As if the specific memories were of utmost importance to Scott. So often you have an idea of someone from your past as memory fades and plays tricks. This monologue sets the scene so vividly, I felt like I was in the room seeing what Scott described. This was heart-breaking and poignant. Just terrific writing.

Some people are all just bluster and braggadocio until it all blows up in their faces. Erin Osgood shows us this in humorous fashion when one of her characters gets in over his head. luckily the other is there to bail him out. Fast and fun stuff!

Just once, I'd love to see the science types in a sci-fi story get the better of the macho security jocks that usually shunt the nerds to the background and take over. Oh right, it just happened in Erin Osgood's fun little piece about alien viruses, dead bodies, security protocols and heh heh, practical jokes. The quicker this plays, the better the tension ratchets up and all for the better when the punchline hits. Good fun for the audience.

The smaller events in life sometimes do a great deal to help cope with the larger, more impactful ones. Steve Martin shows us this quite eloquently in this tale of two sisters each dealing with a family trauma in their own ways. Claudette deals the way a lot of us would, with stress eating. I thought it clever (and practical for the actress) that we get to watch AND WAIT for the pudding to be made and set instead of seeing somebody gorging the entire length of the piece. The nervous anticipation for the audience and Claudette is palpable.

Talk about airing your dirty laundry. This fun little piece from Arianna Rose has great roles for women of greatly varying ages and skill sets. I loved the interaction between the two and the role reversal as well. usually, the roles would have been the other way around and this way we have characters all the richer for it. It also has some much appreciated depth to it, presenting a view of both sides the other finds educational. The grass isn't always greener on the other side of the fence, but we both have a lawn to mow. Great fun.

Someone has a clue, and it isn't about a crossword puzzle. This comic drama about the possible end of a marriage is wonderfully written, letting the audience in on it before the wife is, although it's all practically spelled out for her. A terrific little play.

I sat here stunned after reading this. It is beautiful, heart-breaking, powerful and will stay with me for some time. What a beautiful way to look at the death of a loved one and the way we still attempt to find the words. We don't always get the closure we wanted, and here Hollis tries to make up for that in a way both clever and sadly appropriate. Steve Martin has written something very special here. There's nothing trivial about this play.

I love me a good heist story, and this was no exception. Hayley St. James puts the audience smack dab in the middle of the heist, just as another thief puts us into the middle of hers. I love the one-upsmanship going on while alarms sound. Like watching "Ocean's 11" and seeing the banter and good natured ribbing of one another. How the two are really connected is just icing on the cake. Would love to see this onstage. And how nice to see the girls rather than guys get the criminal spotlight for a change.