Recommended by John Busser

The best thing about the Bear tales are how much you want these to be true. They're just so darned entertaining! I want to see more Bear adventures on the world stage, like a furry Zelig. Christopher Plumridge, are you game? I'm sure the Bear is...

Wow! Shades of Orson Welles. Staging a possible nuclear attack while a play is going on and having actors as audience members would be something to see. How many real audience members would be whipping out their phones? More than a few I'd think. I flew through this terrific script by Caitlin Strom-Martin wondering where the hell it could go. And the most audacious part? That end, where everything SEEMS to be getting back to normal. But then...

John Bavoso has come up with a damn funny explanation for all those mystery girlfriends that seemingly disappear when someone comes out of the closet. The Canadian aspect of it is brilliant. But this play also points out that nobody should be defined by anyone else. That's smart writing and it's why I heartily recommend this play.

Whether on stage or on film, the prospect of being physically intimate in front of other people is one of the most frightening things a person can endure. You don't want to look, act, smell or taste bad to your partner, let alone an audience who, let's face it, are going to be as critical as if they were going over the Zapruder film.

Scott Sickles deftly shows us in a gentle comedic way, the dance we do when we're about to do that thing we do called "doing it". And it's done with style and a light touch. Bravo.

I love the fact that, just like real people do, the conversation here about upset stomachs and overindulging on booze is not really what these two are conversing about. We all hide our intentions at times, and this is both clear (to us) and unclear (to them). Debbie Lamedman captures the tone of such conversations perfectly, making the ordinary into something a little EXTRA-ordinary. Terrific writing.

A reminder that while we all make the journey, it's a lot better with a traveling companion. Robin Rice has written a lovely short play that would be perfect for two older actresses. It gives them characters with heart, brains, gumption and most important, a sense of connection. Terrific writing.

An amazing concept followed by a heart-breaking tragedy. Jonathan Cook has written a terrific drama crossed with a sci-fi (?), horror, (?) absurd (?) twist I didn't see coming. But as it unfolded, I bought into it completely. I loved the ending too. There's more to this story.

A laugh out loud funny look at the insecurities of being an actor. Anyone who has ever trod the stage will howl in recognition at some of Larry Rinkel's observations here as he tackles late audience members, late starting times, audition woes, performance issues and all the other aggravating things that actors deal with if only for that endorphin rush that comes from the applause of the crowd. Spot on and hilarious, this is well worth even a late start time to see.

How could I NOT want to know the answer asked by Randy Hunt in this terrific little dark comedy? A bad break up prompts the creation of the aforementioned box, and I was on the edge of my seat as I read and tried predicting just what WAS in the box. The answer is both just that, an answer AND the setup for... well, the fun is not in me telling you. Read this to find out. Better yet, produce this, so an audience can try to guess.

Jack Levine lets his absurd flag fly in this terrifically silly play about writer's block and the creative ways we deal with it. Levine's Jack, a writer having a hard time getting his creative juices flowing, tries mightily to prime the pump with the help of a talking horse and a monkey who's a whiz at puppetry. Sound weird enough for you? I assure you, it's as goofy as it sounds, and it works like a charm. Great fun.