Recommended by John Busser

06.27.25 - Greg Mandryk is as master of both horror and comedy plays, so when he combines the two, it's a can't miss combo that audiences will love. Law and Order meets The Exorcist. And like the most delicious Reese's Cup, the two tastes go great together. This kind of play is right up my alley and I was lucky enough to be in a reading of it so I know first hand the amount of laughs it got. This is Mandryk at his best.

06.26.25 - It may take two to tango, but in Franky Gonzalez's complex relationship dance, the steps require a third person. This play about shifting roles in a marriage undergoing turbulent times is made all the more shaky due to a third party, who himself plays multiple roles in this drama. Gonzalaz's characters are fascinating, and even more multifaceted depending on who they currently deal with. Happiness is always sought for but elusive, twisting in and out of the characters grips. Riveting.

06.25.25 - The most fascinating piece I saw at the Valdez Theatre Conference, this nightmare possible future envisions the ultimate attempt as assimilation, not at a linguistic or a cultural level, but at a genetic one, which is frightening beyond belief (and no doubt on some think-tank's "Honey, Do" list.) Max Gill takes us into a land of changing people beyond recognition. When one character says, "Because something in this world is very wrong." it hits the nail on the head with a bullet.

06.25.25 - There's a shifting of plates that occurs here. Both tectonic and relationship based. Greg Romero does it with subtlety and nuance, characters sometimes saying more with no words than with. The silences creating a tension that needs release, much like an eruption would do. The buildup is impressive and the events that occur throughout providing both release and revelation (Roger's reveal, Abbie's later unveiling). All these things both explain and drive further questions. Quite a play.

06.20.25 - I dare you not to laugh at this sweet-as-molasses-on-a-hot-summer-day treat from Daniel Emlyn-Jones. This two-hander swings for the fences with Southern charm and enough down-home bon mots to choke a gator. The wordplay alone is enough to entice an audience, but add in comic performances from a couple of actresses willing to embrace their inner Blanche Devereaux (the inspiration, I'm told) and you have an absolute hoot of a play.

06.20.25 - This is a longer version of his original "Lang" and I have to say, the added room DC Cathro affords his characters definitely adds to their richness. Fritz Lang, known for his highly visualized film work must make an awful choice made even more complicated by his rocky relationship with wife Thea. Stay, make films for the new Chancellor, an abhorrent choice and possibly save his marriage or flee Germany and lose her. We feel all the dread their decision embodies. I loved this script.

06.20.25 - I highly recommend Philip Middleton Williams' touching piece about loss and legacy. Williams perfectly sets up the awkward four-sided triangle at the center of the play with lead Nick having to navigate honoring his dead lover's body of work, balancing it against a new relationship (also named Eric) and dealing with Ed, a teacher Nick holds partially responsible for the loss of his first love. Mixing art and emotional layers, Williams creates a beautiful picture with heart. Wonderful.

06.20.25 - I saw a hilariously entertaining reading of this play at the Valdez Theatre Conference which introduced me to Jon Herbert's work. This satirical look at the expulsion of Adam and Eve from the Garden is full of unexpected character traits (God ain't so All-knowing, The Serpent quite reasonable, etc) and charm. There are two sides to every story and this one comes with a bonus, the no-nonsense Lilith, a proto-Eve of sorts. This was a delight to hear read and would be even better staged.

06.04.25 - I was charmed by this look at old friends who's love for each other will never die. These women speak like actual best friends would and it gives a spark that the actors playing them will absolutely cherish. Brian Petti's work is new to me, but this won't be the last thing of his I read.

05.30.25 - Oh how we find it so easy to go down that rabbit hole in lieu of actual human contact. Mark Harvey Levine skewers this target with a fine comedic arrow, and adds another notch to his list of impressive comedies. Dating has never been so perilous, knowing that you're not just seeing one person these days, but most likely an entire entourage of remote hangers on, feeding on the posts of others all day and night. Put this up onstage, not online.