Recommended by John Busser

Forget wolves, witches and other ghoulish eaters of children. We now have Grandma thanks to Cole Hunter Dzubak. This is pretty unsettling once we get into the play and Cole knows how to ratchet up the tension. With one sibling suspicious and the other not, they provide audience surrogates who might be equally divided on Grandma's behavior. But when that last page comes around, everyone will be served the same disturbing last meal. Brilliantly twisted.

How unsettling would it be if the events of this play happened in real life? Ryan Bultrowicz gives us some interesting food for thought here. Not only do the characters succumb to thoughts of paranoia, fear and guilt (If that's God's eye, are we being judged?), but he throws in the tangible unease of either being too much like the neighbors (are we fitting in?) or not enough like them (They're crazy, we're sane). It's enough to drive the characters mad. This is creepy yet thought provoking stuff at it's best. And still the eye keeps watching...

I guarantee you, no one else is going to come up with something this ludicrous. But then, this is the man responsible for a series of Vampire teddy bear plays, and we all know how awesome those are. Chris Plumridge has concocted a very silly play in the style of Monty Python, but with more wallabies. Whether you buy into the conceit or not, the idea behind this extremely funny piece should get laughs from you right from the get go. Great fun.

Wow, talk about intense. Jillian Blevins just creeped me the hell out with this short piece that takes a mother's bond with her child and practically stitches them together. In a brilliant move, we are never privy to what baby looks like, but something tells me, it can't be good. Husband just wants to help. Looks like he may have just become a "helping"! (And so much for my Tales From the Crypt final line!) This is deeply disturbing, oh-so compelling and would freak an audience out. Wonderful writing here.

Oh, he got me! Darrin Friedman got me. I thought I knew where this was going early on, and boy, was I ever wrong. And never happier to be so wrong. This plays like something Rod Serling would step out at the end and let you know just where you've been visiting. And who you're visiting with. Those phone contracts can be a bitch. But here, the audience will come out on top. Even as Barry does (or maybe doesn't) Fun stuff for the stage.

A loving deconstruction of that oldest joke premise (A BLANK, a BLANK and a BLANK walk into a bar), we get a new wrinkle added to the mix with Lee Lawing's WIDOW character coming in to spice things up (or possibly tear things up). Lawing knows how to wring every laugh from what could be a stale tale, and do it with style. I loved the archetypes (including the ever-present bar tender) and how Widow resolves her issue. And since she hints that this is sort of a dry run, perhaps a sequel involving a duck or horse is warranted.

Now THAT'S how you write a ghost story! Holy cow, that was amazing to read. I imagine it would be even better staged. Christopher Soucy gets you thinking one way (a deliciously creepy way), then turns it on it's head with the reveal of what's going on, AND THEN, throws you right back into the creep zone with another reveal! I loved this one.

A reminder that, straight or gay, we're all capable and deserving of tenderness, understanding for the state of being of others and to never be averse to the unexpected. Scott Sickles, as always, serves up a big helping of compassion here. His characters (even the silent companion of our speaker here) tell a story just be being who they are in this moment. A terrific monologue.

Morey Norkin and Chris Plumridge, the men responsible (although really, more like, the men to blame) for the continuing adventures of P.I. John Pie, as quick with a quip and a gun as he is with an unsung song lyric, try to make it up to you with this insanely funny second helping of Pie. With a nuttier cast of screwball characters and enough dad jokes to fill a den on Father's Day, the plot is seven shades of crazy and we'd do well to just sit back and let these 2 do what they do best; Entertain us all.

Morey Norkin and Chris Plumridge, the men responsible (although really, more like, the men to blame) for the continuing adventures of P.I. John Pie, as quick with a quip and a gun as he is with an unsung song lyric, try to make it up to you with this insanely funny second helping of Pie. With a nuttier cast of screwball characters and enough dad jokes to fill a den on Father's Day, the plot is seven shades of crazy and we'd do well to just sit back and let these 2 do what they do best; Entertain us all.