Recommended by John Busser

There's a frothiness to Jordan and Flannery's conversation that only happens in a play. We only WISH we could be as smart, as eloquent, as damned entertaining as these two characters from Scott Sickles imagination. And since he wrote them, I guess Scott IS that smart, eloquent and entertaining in real life. If we ever meet, I'll be straining to keep up my end of the conversation. OR I could just read or watch his work and enjoy his company that way, as a satisfied audience member. That's a fact, NOT opinion.

This play needs to be staged if only to see how a play about noodle-armed people dealing with the travesty of a newborn with - gasp - hands would even work. This would be a fascinating creative exercise and I would imagine there are enough creative types out there willing to give it a go. Just don't offer to give them a hand staging it. You'll be run out of town. H. Avery wins for the strangest concept I've read in a while.

Surreal, funny as hell and unexpectedly thoughtful (The violence WAS expected though. Said it right there in the beginning). Dan Prillaman is a twisted, bent individual. But in the best way. No one blends humor and goosefeathers like he does. (I suspect no one would want to) But thank God he wants to, because we got this play out of it.

I absolutely loved this monologue about the finite nature of memory and our efforts to preserve them. Michele Clarke has written a wonderful account for those of us who are both lovers of family history, yet at the same time, we are lazy caretakers of that self same history. I myself have box after box of tapes, films, photos, drawings from my past that I look at lovingly, yet leave them to their eventual disintegration. This monologue spoke to me.

As beautifully written as it is devastating, Deb Cole's look at loss and living on after is quiet, but it speaks volumes. Lacey is desperately looking for a way to hang on to her late daughter and finds it in a cardinal. David is even more interesting here. There's a sense of anger under his words. I was fascinated with his take on possibility seeing their child in the afterlife. It made him angry that a possible creator would take away their little girl in the first place. These are rich, complex characters brought to us in only 5 pages.

Oh my God! That was brilliant! I loved the idea. I loved the characters. I especially loved the wordplay! Morey Norkin is a spiritual successor to Norm Crosby, the patron saint of malapropisms. Keep these coming Morey. I need more nonsense like this in my life.

Holy cow, that took SUCH a left turn into a dark place! I absolutely loved this piece by DC Cathro. He knows exactly how to set the scene in such an innocuous manner, then start building upon it until you're at the edge of a cliff you didn't know you were climbing. Then he dropkicks you off it in the creepiest fashion. Be careful about trading that Halloween candy. Apparently it's bad for your teeth... and the rest of you.

A wonderfully creepy audio play. Brent Alles has crafted a terrific horror play making use of the radio play penchant for using sound to tell the story. And there are some awfully specific ones used here too. This play will make you feel unsettled in the best way. Somebody produce this piece. It'll be perfect on any podcast that does it.

Paul Donnelly's short drama shows just how unyielding both sides in an argument can be. On the one hand Jeremy's mother (however wrong-headed I may believe her to be, and make no mistake, I am pro-science on this) clearly cares enough for her son's happiness to try to get Mike to listen. On the other, Mike's love for his daughter's welfare is just as (if not more) prevalent. The smart dialogue gives us no clear winner or loser here, and I'd bet this play will provoke much discussion after seeing it. Theater with a point!

I guarantee you this will be the most fascinating yet bewildering play you read today. Absurdity rules here in this story of a therapist having to deal with the mother of an 8 year old boy with a problem. Mental health is called into question and the subject matter may prove a bit much for some. But for the rest of us, we would really love to see how this would play out onstage.