Recommended by John Busser

Philip Middleton Williams hits the bullseye closer than Green Arrow ever could with this nostalgic look back to the comics of old and the amazing page of ads that promised you colonies of sea monkeys, seeing the bones of your hand (and possibly through the clothes of your crushes) and most importantly, an end to beach bullies with your own Free! Powerful Muscles Fast! With an eye for detail and the pitch-perfect logic of youth, Philip gives us a character who knows life's biggest mystery, your libido, can be solved if you just send in that coupon today! Terrific writing.

I have never looked at infidelity the way Chris Soucy does here and I'll bet you haven't either. It's a deliciously naughty take on affairs that makes so much sense. A different kind of "booty" from a different kind of pirate. And no, there are no pirates in this. It's someone just like you and me. And that's the draw here. We're all capable of this kind of thing. Maybe some of us have our own "buried treasure" that we measure our worth from. A smart monologue with hidden depth.

I love me a good, silly comedy and this fits the bill as perfectly as the random generator inspired names for the characters in Christopher Soucy's tale of science gone wrong. The absurdity flies fast and furious and yet, in today's world, I have a feeling he hits the mark a lot more often than not. I wonder who'll be the first to bring the dreaded Chupa-Burger to market?

A gentle comedy of awkwardness and family relationships, Jack the Stripper gives us a mother and her two children trying to come to terms with how the kids make ends meet. With great interactions of the characters and a premise that promises some belly laughs (at least for the audiences that might want to watch a sexy cop and a bottle of chocolate sauce), this would be a fun piece to see staged.

The funniest thing I've read today, evoking Monty Python absurdity, Loony Tunes logic and three of the sharpest tacks any conqueror has ever stepped on. A brilliant piece of comedy.

I defy anyone who reads in bed to say they've never done something like this with their partner. Completely relatable and very funny, the mental and verbal gymnastics that Jessie goes through to keep reading Mark's book and then to keep from spilling the plot to him are hilarious. Mark's reactions provide her with a perfect straight man.

A threesome like no other that comes from the mind of Scott Sickles. Not content to ever give us stock characters in mundane situations, Scott manages to create a love triangle with only two points (at a time) and still makes it work like gangbusters. His dialogue is hilarious, the situation ridiculous, but it still manages to tug at your heartstrings. You feel for all of them. They don't get much better than this.

I cannot recommend this beautiful, tender conversation highly enough. And despite being a monologue, there is definitely a conversation going on here. Multiple ones. I am amazed that there are layers of guilt, happiness, regret, frustration, anger all in this 1 page confession / plea for understanding that Scott has written. Sickles puts more feeling into one page of dialogue than some others can muster in a full length. I am in awe.

All good monologues keep you wanting more and this corker by Christopher Soucy is no exception. Keeping just enough of the all-too-real "gory details" hidden, Shelby's speech to the surviving class of 22 is ripe for expansion. I want to hear more (possibly from the other survivors) Just terrific writing!

Art imitating life or vice-versa? The characters here are people playing characters based on possibly(?) real events in their lives is so meta, it can make your head spin. But Cody Goulder pulls it all together in a wry, funny look using the noir detective tropes to perfection. Even as Gal threatens to upend everything, Dick pulls her back in just as Cody pulls the audience in. Fun stuff!