Recommended by John Busser

I HIGHLY recommend this demented comedy of manners, final girl unions and tea breaks amongst the carnage from Chris Soucy. I loved every minute of this. It's clever, gruesome and sick in all the best ways. In the best tradition of slasher flicks, I'd love to see a sequel or even a series of sequels, ending with Slasher's Delight... IN SPAAAAACE!

Now I'm hungry for ramen...
Morey Norkin gives us a true fractured fairy tale here that is delightfully bonkers. I always get a kick out of characters who interact, and in this case, sometimes contradict a narrator's best efforts. Kids and adults can sink their teeth into this comic retelling of Goldilocks and I think it would be a worthy addition to any short play festival.

Oh I couldn't wait to dig into another Jacquie Floyd comedy and she did NOT disappoint. You should all sacrifice about 10 minutes of your time to read this hilarious look at human sacrifice (and yes, you CAN make that funny). It's not all fun and deity-pleasing. Someone could get hurt. Or eaten. And then where would we be? Probably laughing our asses off like I did reading this. I think this play would be even better staged, as the tech crew would be having a blast bringing the mayhem to life. Thanks for the great read, Jacquie!

I know I'll never write something which addresses our collective soul while at the same time does so in a way that confounds and calls out the absurd in that same soul. But thank God Rachael Carnes can and did. Between supermarket tzatziki, Pompeii crosswords and tight hedgehog balls (believe me, it all makes a weird kind of sense in the context of the play), Rachael makes this a damn fine source of existential entertainment.

I was stunned after reading this terrifying look at how our society really HAS failed our children. Greg Vovos not only gives us this ongoing conflict in terms that are nowhere near black and white, but the gray area he puts Godfrey and Kelsey in somehow seems like something of a solution. NOT A GOOD ONE, however. Godfrey may not realize it, but his intended target may not be the only casualty this day. That's what makes this story so important to tell. For the kids AND the "Adults in the room."

For this audience of one, I give this a resounding thumbs up. But of course, I don't wish to offend our opposable thumbless in the crowd, so perhaps I will give this a ringing endorsement. Although for the hearing challenged in the crowd, this may fall upon deaf ears. Needless to say, about how much fun this play is, I am at a loss for words to explain it, but those with aphasia will surely know what I mean. Paul Smith has written a winner here, even though I'm not sure anyone will read this recommendation as it contains triggers.

Now THAT was a fun time! Even as I was being creeped out, I was fascinated with where this conversation between Rory and a sleeping Tay (and possibly someone or something(s) else) was going. Trust comes with a price and in this case, that price may be just a bit to terrible to contemplate. And even in the midst of this uncertainty, Jacquie Floyd manages to insert some stress relieving laughs into the bedroom. I always look forward to her work, and this one was no exception.

Prince Charming may have turned into a frog, but this charmer from Nora Louise Syran is nothing but highest grade wine. Nora always makes her character interactions sparkle with wit and verve. Loved the sprinkling of French in here (look at Nora, making me try my best to pronounce it as I read in an outrageous accent). Some things are better left corked, but this play isn't one of them. This one needs to be let out and shared with an audience.

Relationships are always a battle of sorts. No necessarily fighting but skirmishes take place all the time, with one side gaining ground, the other losing it, then having the dynamic shift. It's a constant battle. So the talk of being excellent and equal in this play is a dicey one. Who determines it, who maintains it and who accepts or rejects it is always in flux. James Dimartino skillfully shows us this with Richard and Trish. Their solution for getting out from under these restraints looks to be just as interesting. James, let's see THAT conversation in a sequel.

A character piece from the Old Hollywood era is just what I needed to read right now, and this one comes in with rainy night vibes and goes down as smooth as a glass of bourbon. Tom Erb shows us how this based-on-true-facts story might have gone down, and if it didn't happen exactly this way, well then, it should have. Both characters are delightfully realized and at the end, I wanted the car trip to extend another 20 pages. I'd love to see this staged.