Recommended by Mike Byham

Fun, sweet and moving, PUNK GRANDPA will make you miss your own or wish you had one like this one. As told through the eyes of the granddaughter, Scruggs one-act cleverly uses short scenes to broaden the story and overall impact. Delightful.

John Patrick Bray has a unique writing style creating immersive worlds filled with weird yet relatable characters that you can’t help but root for. PAPER CROWNS is a fine example. Loving County Texas isn’t a place you’d choose to live, but it’s a place where magic can happen in the right hands. Desperate people finding a measure of happiness in this place is good story-telling. So well done. I’d love to see this one staged.

Women have made many contributions to war efforts that have gone unrecognized or devalued. OF WOLVES AND WREN sheds light on one of these hidden contributions as a group of young women intellectuals help the Allies outsmart the Nazis. Prince does a nice job of creating the room where this happened. Great story told extremely well. I would love to see this staged.

This cleverly-written piece provides two separate history lessons. The first is based on the biblical tale of Cain and Abel. The second is more obscure, but Tennant demonstrates knowledge of her craft by writing scenes in historically progressive styles - from Ancient Greece to modern day broadway. A good story told in a very interesting and unique manner. Fun to read. I would love to see this performed. So well done!

BLUE MOON (Ryan Stevens) is a one-actor play packing substantial story-telling punch. It plays much larger as the single actor portrays others. But maybe playing multiple roles is the point? Wrestlers getting lost in their personas and turning heel to sate their ambition. What a world they live in! I absolutely love the set up and subject matter being explored in the manner it is - well done! This is a prime role for a talented actor lucky enough to land it. Give Stevens the belt!

The Hollywood of yesteryear must’ve was populated with some very interesting characters and apparently Henry Frank was one. Joe Weintraub does a great job of setting the mood sweeping back to the days of film noire and pre-code movie-making. A captivating glimpse of the past.

I had the pleasure of reading YEAH, ART FIGURES for a contest. Very rarely does a short piece have so much to say in such a fun and elegant manner. I absolutely love the richly drawn characters and the dialogue is spot-on perfectly natural. So well done. I hope this is staged near me so I can see it - or better yet, give me the opportunity to play FRANK. This is a wonderfully written play certain to entertain (and educate) audiences while providing actors with meaty material.

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.