Recommended by John Busser

Renee Schilling and Emily Czarnota channel the screwball comedies of the 40's here with two wise-cracking female pilots with a penchant for exaggeration and a love of being in the air. They take us on a fantastic flight of fancy and teach us quite a bit about the history of aviation at the same time. There's charm and wit enough to fill the skies as these two pilots (Blanche and Louise, who work as well together as the authors do) make you believe an audience can fly.

A ghost story that's a love story that's a horror story that's a dark comedy. You don't read those every day. C.S. Jones displays a light touch here with three interesting characters who's lives very easily intertwine, just not in the best way. Poor Evelyn becomes one of type of gothic horror characters that Tricia writes about, but it isn't all romance when the object of her desires, fireman Luis is now out of her grasp forever. Talk about a plot twist. Great Halloween fun.

The irony of a witch purging true evil from Salem is not lost here as Rachel Feeny-Williams shows us a creepy tale of a man getting shown the error of his ways in horrific fashion. This is definitely a drama, but there are hints of black humor here as the Judge gets his comeuppance. His line of "Evil will only flourish when good men do nothing!" is so darkly funny in the context of the play, you can't wait for the "good(???)" Tabitha to take a direct hand in matters. Eminently satisfying.

What's most terrifying about this play is Joey's numbing acceptance of this life of his, figuring that this is what's going on everywhere. The scars and bruises he documents are probably not anywhere near in number to the psychological ones he harbors inside. And the manifestation of the imaginary friend is only going to express in more extreme ways as this plays out. This is heart-breaking but important.

I've been trying to find the right words to say here, but nothing profound is coming. This was devastating, having to only read what the characters go through. I can't imagine what it must have been like to live through it. Powerful and evocative, Joe Swenson has created an important work of art.

I have had the extreme pleasure of performing this piece for an appreciative crowd and let me say, it plays as good as it reads. And it reads very well indeed. Subverting your expectations and yet, is there any better way it could have played out? I don't think so. This is darkly funny stuff.

Vivian Lermond always writes characters you'd like to meet in real life, and here she gives us three vivid ones that are no exception. These people seem so real and they show us that it's never too late to take the unexpected path to a new beginning. This piece deserves its own life upon the stage.

A Jacquie Floyd script I missed? Say it ain't so, Joe! Well, I found it now and am glad I did. I love the premise of this one; a fantasy boyfriend who can't take the hint and let a young woman move on. But does she really want to? The fun interplay between Ella, Sherilyn and Matt is filled with great setups and punchlines (my personal favorite - MATT:You want reality? I can do reality. (Seriously) Don’t you think that’s a little too much make-up?) Like most of Jacquie's plays, this is perfect for the stage.

In less than 5 minutes Christopher Plumridge shows us that, contrary to what a Catholic school upbringing might have me believe, nuns are people too. (Monks give into temptation as well, but then, we ALWAYS knew that.) This is a quiet walk down a slightly naughty path that builds in a surprising amount of tension as we wait to see what each new reveal will lead to. Terrific stuff.

For a short play to tackle such a large and intimidating subject must have been daunting, but Aly Kantor not only hits it out of the park with this one, she does it with grace and dignity. I was spellbound by this piece. Aly Kantor is a wonderful writer and you should take a look at her work. I would love to see this staged. It's a message piece with more heart and soul than you'd expect. And I expected a lot.