Recommended by John Busser

Children really are the most amazing wordsmiths, aren't they. Rules of grammar, syntax and phonetics, be damned, the way Mill speaks to us about his upcoming campaign to avenge a terrible wrong, is so... right in his intent and misusage. I would speak like that were I in his footie pajamas and that's the charm of Scott Sickles work. He puts us right there in the drivers seat by making his characters sound just like us. We all could have let it go if it weren't for the damned M & M's.

A lot can happen in 2 minutes. A lifetime of upcoming bliss vs. a lifetime of eternal regret and the wedding that binds them together. Marcia Eppich-Harris needs to write a two minute followup on the reception. Then another on the wedding night. And so on, and so on.

I love reading a play when I have no idea where it's going, and this one pleasantly surprised me. Jack and Jill, trying to live beyond what the song says encounter someone who just might be able to help them do that, in a somewhat unorthodox way. The ending was also unexpected, and I won't spoil it, but needless to say, like in the best fairy tales and nursery rhymes, a happy ending was had by all. Well, maybe not all, but at least the important ones did.

Many times we couch what we say in metaphor and example instead of coming out and just saying what we really want. Joe Bardin's characters show this so perfectly, as we (the audience) watch 2 people talk about the play they're watching, the people in the lobby, anything but what is really on their minds. And yet they, and we, know exactly what is going on. That's good writing.

A thoughtful, elegant and touching look at how we perceive ourselves and our place in the world, by two individuals who look at things from different perspectives. One approaches by looking forward, the other, looking back. Through their interaction they come to an understanding. The dialogue is wonderfully realized and I would totally believe the two DID have a conversation like this on a trip to America, the land of opportunity... and comedy.

Edie is a reminder that there are ways of dealing with certain kinds of men, and then there are better ways of dealing with them. The last line alone makes this play a must see.

A short play as disturbing as the cursed tape that haunts the children of this high school. A rising tide of horror that can't be stopped plays with the comparison to the pubescent rage of hormones these kids are also trying to deal with. Really well done.

The burden of proof has never been so frustratingly portrayed as in this short piece by Kel Vance. A woman fearing sexual assault learns things aren't so cut-and-dried in today's environment when motivation, intent and even the presence of a weapon aren't enough for the police. Kel takes no sides here and he does right by showing that most accounts don't take place in a black and white world. The truth is a bit murkier. We want to take her side, considering how the suspect is portrayed, but the law works differently. Much food for thought here.

Wow Morey, well done! I loved having one of these fearful morons get their comeuppance, but in a way that isn't violent or revenge-filled. The idea that someone would step up to the plate as an actual replacement is hilarious on the face of it, but the way in which it was executed was so appropriate. Sylvia basically gave Cliff what he wanted, the proof of his words, just not in the way he wanted it. And having the next generation actually step up to ask their own questions was heartening. If only it could always go this way.

Wow, that was a DARKLY funny short piece by Deb Cole that really does bring home the fact that the ties that bind can draw uncomfortably tight. Helen looks like she's ramping up, and at 70+ she's had a lot of time to work up some speed. Claire's in for a wild family ride if this 5 minutes is any indication.