Recommended by Mike Byham

Grief and regret are strong emotions. Davenport's short brings these emotions to the surface in a meaningful manner. Sweet and effective.

CHANCE ENCOUNTER is a pure gold fantasy scenario for us sci-if fans who’ve attended comic-cons. Alles uses the broken elevator setting effectively and wisely avoids playing just for laughs to imbue this short with a sweet, impactful message. Mark finding solace and support through a sci-fi show is not unusual or incredible. For us “nerds”, it’s easily identifiable. I absolutely love this piece.

A good bit of scary fun for an all-female cast. Busser cleverly uses H.P. Lovecraft’s tendency to reference the Book of the Dead in his own writings as a table setting for a book club meeting (or is it really a wine club)? Just good, old-fashioned, silly fun. Lavinia in particular is a character actors will love to play. Well done.

What we have here is a failure to communicate. In the end though, a sweet tale with the outcome we want. But we’re left asking what was missed? What possible misfortune did the lost time due to lack of fortitude on both parts cause? This smart piece says a lot with a few words. Well done.

Rapid-fire comic brilliance! Norkin and Busser are at the top of their funny, punny game with BETTER CALL SHOENSTEIN. We need more of this. I truly want to live in this world! Thanks for the laughs.

Rapid-fire comic brilliance! Norkin and Busser are at the top of their funny, punny game with BETTER CALL SHOENSTEIN. We need more of this. I truly want to live in this world! Thanks for the laughs.

FIRST LIGHT is a wonderful reminder of our transience in life's stages. We can clearly see and feel the effect that connections have on us as we move on from one stage to the next - as well as what we cling to and hold dear. The family drama and natural dialogue create a relatable setting and there's a killer monologue at the end. Very effective and well done. Would love to see this staged.

Yikes! I thought I was reading a cute rom-com until I wasn't. Deb Cole's DREAM HOUSE will evoke many emotions (mainly anger and frustration) while leaving us questioning our concept of justifiable action when unintended consequences of a poorly-written law allow continued harm to the victimized. I rarely get angry about anything, but Deb has crafted a scenario that provides such a wholly unredeemable and dastardly character that I was actually swearing out loud (SOL?) at my computer screen. If this play was staged in the 1800's, some poor actor wouldn't make it out of the theatre alive. Well done.

SECOND BANANA is a nostalgic romp through high school as viewed through the eyes of a high school football coach, his son and all the accompanying requisite character tropes. What's different about this piece is the level of care provided in the development of each character - all of whom the audience will cheer for regardless of where they fall on the social scale. Alles wisely allows the parents to be parents and the kids to expose their struggles in a manner that doesn't devolve into simple stereotypes. I love this play! Someone please produce this!

Aly Kantor hits all the right notes with BEES. "You plant the seeds. You water the seeds. You’re supposed to get a tomato." I don't know why this line got to me, but it did. Perhaps it's the expectations we set for ourselves and others and then ... life happens. When these expectations are set through the lens of a multi-generational divide, finding common ground to connect is an unexpected and welcome surprise. I'd love to know more about these people and the journey of their relationship - that's an outcome of a really well-written story.