Recommended by John Busser

I was so pleasantly surprised at where this play took me. I was expecting a play about trying to help a troubled child and... well, I don't want to give away that ending. Paul Smith expertly subverts your expectations and does it with simplicity. This is terrific writing. He doesn't get fancy, but knows exactly how to take you down an unexpected path. I loved it.

WOW! Lee Lawing puts it right to the audience and delivers one hell of a dark satire on religion, abortion, game shows and the Pro-Life crowd. It's really all about money isn't it? There's enough in here to make some folks laugh their asses off, while other asses will feel the uncomfortable heat of their own hypocrisy. I think this is definitely one that should be staged. Especially for that zinger of an ending.

At first I thought this would be about a collector's obsession (as a rabid comic collector, I sympathize totally), but then the play takes a hilarious left turn into Twilight Zone land. Brenton Kniess takes what could be a source of pleasure and comfort (who doesn't love to lay on a pillow) and turns it into a darkly funny murder weapon that I guarantee, an audience won't see coming, even if you placed it over their face and pushed down. Funny stuff.

Reminding us all how artificial and phony both dating videos and politics can be, Asher Wyndham perfectly nails the insincerity of it all. Hilariously so! A gift on a gilded platter for any actress with a comedic bent, a closet full of wigs and perhaps a couple of blasts of cough syrup to get through the bile and hypocritical selling points of the video she is shooting. This is satire of the first degree and I'd pay good money to see this on stage.

Oh what a tangled web Victoria weaves! Leaving poor Barry and Shirley caught up in it. But in this delightful piece, no malice is intended. Tony Vale treats this interaction like a roundabout with each character going in circles as they try to catch up with one another. I loved the dialogue between the three and this would work terrifically on the stage. Don't get caught in Victoria's slipstream though. You might enjoy it too much...

Friendship and bullying can sometimes go hand-in-hand at the age that the children in Lee Lawing's thoughtful little piece are. The friends here tease and compete with each other over the slightest matters, like who can go mega-force while skipping rope. No matter how inconsequential, kids will compete (and passive-aggressive bully each other you have to admit) But here, Lee shows that isn't always the case. Sometimes understanding and acceptance can be superpowers as well. Luckily, these characters accept young Arie sight unseen (pun intended).

A wonderfully positive message about treating everyone the same. Even those who are different.

Well THAT went south in a hurry. What started out as a dark comedy turns to grotesque horror so smoothly, you'll barely notice just how screwed these guys are until the last moment. Greg Mandryk knows how to write likeable characters, and here, he makes two mob thugs the guys you want to succeed at this hit. But things have a way of not working out for them. I won't give away why, you need to read it yourself. Or better yet, get someone to stage this so you can see it in all its weird glory.

There are no small roles, only small writers who don't realize the potential gift of making ALL the characters fully-formed ones. Luckily, Greg Mandryk is no small writer and this piece proves it. Not one to waste background characters who, ironically enough, are not only supposed to be seated upstage from the "leads", but manage (with a quick bit of thinking on their part,) to completely upstage the more important characters to delightful effect. This would be a big hit with both audience members AND those eternal ensemble actors who deserve their own time in the spotlight.

Lee lawing is a sick man, but in the best way. This darkly humorous take on the Easter Bunny trying to thrive in modern-day gun-happy 'Merica should give you an indication why. It's funny as hell, pitch-black subversive and made my day. Oh, and Jesus asks to borrow a gun to take down Santa. Tell me YOU wouldn't want to see this staged.

I read the companion piece to this, "Daddy's Safe" a while back and wanted to see what Chris Plumridge brought to the table with this one. Surprisingly enough, this piece works on a completely different level while being almost identical to the other play. What changes things is the gender dynamic utilized. Having the characters switch roles brings a unique flavor to the plot. I wasn't expecting to be intrigued the way I was. Leave it to Plumridge to find this wonderful tonal shift.