Recommended by John Busser

This Cold (Beer) War just got hot. Or it will, if Mike has his way. Evan Baughfman paces the escalation of both character's thoughts perfectly and it makes you wonder what game it'll go to after Thumb War. A perfect one minute play.

As someone who appreciates a good pun AND a good breakfast, I highly recommend Debra Cole's Fork and Spoon. Filled with gentle zingers (they never come across in an obnoxious manner) and some tenderness as the two characters reach out to connect with one another, which is the real charm of this play. But now I want to know what they say about blueberries.

Well this is as good an explanation as I've ever heard for what infects everyone on NPX. A one minute play that could catch on with audiences if not treated.

Jacquie Floyd never fails to amuse me with her take on things and this play is no exception. A sort-of modern day sequel to the story of the Nutcracker, we are taken to the Land of Sweets, where angsty teen Sarah has an adventure with her old toys and the Nutcracker Prince and saves the day. Jacquie gives you the gift of her twisted wit along with a number of hilarious one liners and comic detours that she does so well. And with a great number of FUN roles for all the actors, schools should open this gift often!

This started out as the classic "Characters are fighting but will end up in the sack together" but becomes so much more. There's a lot more at stake here than the setup would make you believe, and we get to see both characters step up and make some tough decisions. This play became more compelling as it went on, which speaks well of the writing. It almost makes you want a follow up to see where it went.

I was completely taken by surprise by how this play unfolded. At first, I thought we were seeing the classic breakup and rebound of the protagonist, only for this story to head fully into Twilight-Zone meets Red Shoe Diaries territory. And the characters themselves are out of left field. Ad writers, TV models, Russian cameramen, Lady wrestlers. No romance gone wrong has this unique cast of characters. I was enthralled by this piece and I guarantee you it doesn't end the way you think it will. Stage this if only to wake some people up.

Evan Baughfman writes THE best twisted take on the Scorpion and the Frog fable I've ever seen. This is hilarious stuff, with a meerkat added into the fun. Nobody trusts one another (as it turns out, with good reason) and the final line from Frog (or is he?) is brilliant. Fast-paced and probably a costumer's dream to work on, this play is a delight.

If only we could all have a tough friend like Sophie to get us through life's biggest screwing-overs. Marj O'Neill-Butler shows us two friends, one suffering, the other picking her up and dusting her off to face the world again. Smart dialogue (Sophie is a quip machine, the perfect type of friend to have in these situations), and a heart-breaking story (Not only jilted, but the scumbag took all her money too) make this play one that would absolutely kill onstage. Great job Marj!

It's wonderful writing when a conversation can take place without any spoken dialogue. Through only physical expression and movement, we are shown the start of a relationship even as the participants struggle to communicate. What I found most brilliant about this was the way the writer draws the audience in by the simple act of providing no spoken information. The audience is laser-focused on trying to pick up visual cues to provide story elements. I would imagine the audience is supplying countless motivations and reactions from their own minds to fill in the blanks. I loved this play.

Lee Lawing's intriguing play about Otto Rahn, a German officer and keeper of more than a few secrets from the Nazis was riveting reading. I imagine it would play terrifically onstage. A man who was enlisted in a regime based on the swift judgement and condemnation of others it deemed inferior would seem to be a perfect subject for his own accounting in front of Lucifer, but Otto is a more complicated character than that. Lawing gives us a man worth more than his outward appearance would suggest. Very engaging.