Recommended by John Busser

At first I thought this was going to be a tale that would get more profane by the moment. Nobody knows how to swear like a Scotsman, after all. But as I read, I was taken in by the profound heart and soul of this trip into childhood memory and found it to be a touching reminder of the power of family. Moving as a fucking earthquake.

How could I pass up a play called The Shark Exorcist? Well, I couldn't so here we are. The flat out weirdest concept for a play I've come across in a long time and I was rewarded for my weird taste in plays. Absurd is the best word to describe it. try it, you'll see.

I had the opportunity to see a terrific production of this at Madlab's Theatre Roulette for 2022 and it was probably (along with a second piece of Steve's called That Moment When...) the most emotionally satisfying one-two punch of the day. Steve's characters take on a life of their own (the spot on performances helped) and at least for me, I wanted to know the fate of these characters desperately instead of just passively watching their stories unfold. They became flesh and blood people for me and that all starts with the wonderful writing.

Brad Sytsma channels his inner Mr. Bean with a delightfully visual exercise in obsession as a man tries unsuccessfully to have a peaceful lunch in the park ands is bothered by a fly. Using sound only to convey the annoyance is brilliant and the actor would have full sway to get as physical with the role as possible, this play would be a wonder to see performed.

Some people take the reality of the stage to exceptional lengths as A and B find out from C in this fast-paced comedic journey by George Sapio. Playing with method acting, revenge, sexual desires and lots of paperwork, the fun starts right from the get-go. I loved the Pavlovian touch of alerting the actors of the impending curtain with declarations of "10", "5" and so on. Would be fun to see staged.

I sooooooo look forward to Evan Baughfman's seriously twisted point of view. He knows how to take overdone horror tropes and give them a Twilight Zone-esque kick in the pants to make his plays that much more entertaining. His pulling the rug out from under the audience's expectations not once, but twice had me grinning as I got to the end. You will be too.

Well THAT escalated quickly! What a ride we're taken on, as two very sexually frustrated women voice (or maybe howl) those frustrations and decide to embrace their inner beasts. Addressing everything from body image, diet hassles, sexual wants versus sexual gets, this piece says some very smart things while wrapped up in a horror story. Well worth your time.

I don't know about you but I WANT to see this version of Christmas Carol! Tiny Tim on wheels would be a sight to see. With visions of Bionic Scrooge dancing in our heads, this would be perfect for a night of X-Mas themed shows.

A fun little play that both embraces and skewers Christmas traditions while adding some new twists. Playing out like an old noir murder mystery, David Beardsley gives us a terrific little present that would delight an audience.

A funny as hell little goof piece from Jacquie Floyd! What more could you want? A monster and its victim face off. Death is imminent. Or is it? I love the fact that the monster isn't destroyed as much as deconstructed. And the last line made my do a spit take. Even though I wasn't drinking anything at the time. You can't go wrong with The Monster.