Recommended by John Busser

For every academic who forgets that there are some things in life that can't be learned with a book or a video, comes this sweetly funny play by Kate Danley. Playing against the stereotype of a hardened outdoorsman (or woman, in this case) a lumberjack looking to impart wisdom teaches an elementary school principal the satisfying art of ripping through wood with a chainsaw. Fast and funny, this play will bring the house down (or at least a desk). Great stuff.

This play could have been subtitled, "Never Beat Your Heroes." The perception we have of people we've never met, but worship from afar is so misleading, and the disappointment that follows is inevitable. In this case, that disappointment manifests as rage. This is a chilling example of people acting out on their anger, and it couldn't be more timely. This is ugliness at it's best (and I totally understand the irony of that statement). Steve Martin's play should be required viewing, if only to make you uncomfortable.

There is a charm to Jack Levine's play that transcends story and allows us to just bask in two characters who meet cute on a park bench, discuss an absurd invention and fall for each other. The real invention here is their budding relationship, which, after reading the delightful interaction between these two, seems a lot more likely to hold water than a bubble machine holds up swimmers. Feather-light and extremely accessible, this play would be a gift for any two actors.

Disney meets the Sopranos in this charmingly funny little takedown of our need to get likes and stars and good reviews. A Tooth Fairy with a need for high ratings takes a leg breaker's (or in this case, jaw breaker's) course of action with a couple of parents who didn't keep up their end of the "arrangement". The TF may have gotten a bad writeup, but this play won't.

That. Was. Creepy. As. Hell. I read this with a sense of dread knowing it wouldn't end well for Daddy. And like the best horror, it's more about what you DON'T see, instead of what you do. Dominica Plummer ratchets up the tension, and then lowers the boom in the final line of dialogue. I would love to see this produced!

This is an amazing play, both for what it says, but more importantly, what it doesn't say, or better yet, what the characters say to each other , not in words, but in deference or defiance to each other. Using an ever changing system of bestowing status above or below one another, the drama unfolds differently each performance. The words may be the same in most cases, but the body language, delivery and intent around those words mixes into an awkward stew of boiling tension. I was riveted from page 1. Spellbinding work.

Dominica Plummer's what-if? of a play is fast, historically suspect, and fun as all get out. A time-traveling grad student with a loose interpretation of events and an even looser desire to see it play out as it's supposed to is held in check by a talking cat. Does that make sense? Who cares, this is what we're dealing with and it's a blast to see unfold. And that title alone makes this worth your time.

Life doesn't always go our way, but if it's going to go awry, why not have it go in style! A narrator, or in this case, a chorus of one (budget cuts, you understand) arrives just in time to make an inconvenience seem more epic. Lisa Dellagiarino Feriend's written a zippy little play about making epic lemonade out of one of life's lemons. And does it in a way that is perfect, by adding a mistaken identity to the mix. Fast and fun!

The power of human connection is never better shown than here, in Toby Malone's 10 minute look at the ways human beings need each other. Seeing someone and hearing their words can pale with the almost frightening sensation of a simple touch. In these restricted times of ours, this becomes all-too-evident, and the two characters shown here are nearly overwhelmed after a hug. Wonderfully written, this is a timely play for 2020 and really, it should be for all time.

Wow! I did not see the twist in Dan Prillaman's absurd Zoom play coming and I loved it! I like a writer who can turn things on a dime, and this is a wonderful example of it. And the possibilities of this on Zoom, where some creative directing can pull out all the visual gags which are sorely lacking in a lot of Zoom plays, would be fun to see played out. I'd love to see this play done for real.