Recommended by Mike Byham

I had the pleasure of seeing this fun comedy staged in June. Lori Coughlin has crafted a crowd pleaser with heart. The characters are distinct and memorable, even as they are familiar to anyone who has spent any time at all in NYC. The ending is just perfect - giving the audience what they want even as our leading lady learns to adjust her dreams to a new and perhaps even better reality. Bravo!

Shazam! I'm a big fan of the style used in the telling of this story. It's hectic, bizarre and witty. Love the characters and would absolutely love to see a full-length version of this story. I don't want to give away the nice little smile at the end, but it is the cherry on the top of a reading delight. Well done!

Laughing from line one this comedy grabs you and never lets you go. There is so much wit and physical fun are packed into this short play. Melissa Milich has crafted a 10-minute winner!

Well ... still processing. And that's a good thing. I love dark and funny and this play is full of dark and seemingly sincere - until you're in on the punchline when it becomes dark and funny. Very well done. I'd love to see this staged. Not sure I'll ever look at ice cream the same though. Bravo!

Emotional, poetic, vibrant and visceral, Franky D. Gonzalez creates a world where prize-fighting imitates the struggles of first-generation immigrants. The prize that each of the four boxers is fighting for proves elusive as the inescapable black hole awaits them, You care for these characters - rooting for each of them to somehow find a way to reach the championship belt - even while knowing it is impossible for all of them to do so. Compelling and powerful work. Bravo!

Lou Jones sets up a shocker! The Ghost Tour is so much fun and using the amusement park setting - I can see the lights and hear the sounds while reading (and practically smelling the carnival food) - just puts the macabre over the top. Eerie, yet disturbingly familiar, I was guessing till the end. Loved it!

Infused with the immediacy that only mortal illness can produce, The Butterfly Anchor tells a heartfelt story of the need for human connection, regret and redemption, and the power of forgiveness. You care immediately for the main characters and root for a satisfying end - even knowing happily ever after is out of reach. Friedman doesn't disappoint, crafting a bittersweet climax that packs a suitable, emotional punch. A couple of audition-worthy monologues complete a script that deserves to be staged. Well done!

I had the opportunity to see the staged reading of this wonderful piece as part of the 2023 Trinity Theatre New Works Festival. An earnest yet sometimes funny exploration of race viewed through the interaction between today’s youth with a civil war created ghost, Give Up the Ghost offers a unique perspective on a touchy subject while still managing to entertain. Well crafted and well done!

I had the pleasure to see a staged reading of this wonderful play at the 2023 Trinity Theatre New Works Festival in San Diego. You’re immediately immersed in a strange and funny world by an opening monologue that defies description. As the story builds the audience is challenged to imagine an existence unfamiliar - with an ending perplexing and yet intellectually crafted to create discussion well beyond the curtain. I was amused listening to the audience, cast and crew trying to put the pieces together as they left the theatre. Fabulous work!

Absolutely loved this play! Rachel Feeny-Williams has created a small story with big heart. I cared immensely for these characters and I think audiences would as well. A sweet story told in a genuine manner. Very well done!