Recommended by Mike Byham

Brenton Kniess expands the creepy ice cream truck universe with a new and welcome installment - MELT: A NEW SCOOP. As a fan of the original MELT and even knowing what’s coming - it’s still shocking, funny and unsettling. This is an excellent companion piece to the original and I can see the MELT shorts effectively bookending a night of chilling theatre. Sweet stuff!

GOLDEN KISS is cleverly constructed and so much fun - but man I am REALLY conflicted since my wife and I are parents of a golden retriever named "Abby." If you don't know why I feel this way, just read the play! The build to the foreshadowed ending is brilliantly done. I was simultaneously in stiches and cringing while reading. I would love to see this on stage - very funny!

Really enjoyable read. CHEKHOV'S GUN is what can best be described as a typical family dramady that includes an ailing matriarch, a doting long-time suitor, mysterious will changes, the return of the prodigal son, an actual clown and a living lamb. Okay - so maybe not that typical. The distinct characters, their relationships and wonderful wordplay add to the intriguing plot. This makes an entertaining evening of theatre. I would love to see this staged. Delightful!

A very sweet short play about two people who connect in the most mundane of circumstances. SPIN CYCLE provides a meet-cute that hits all the right notes. Andrew Martineau keeps it simple and in this case - it works to heart-warming effect. The characters are neatly drawn and their conversation feels natural. Very well done.

Who doesn't love a good ole fashioned knights and dragon story? Brent Alles provides the laughs with his twist on the dragon tale (or is that tail?) complete with a couple of willing but barely competent slayers in Jay and Kay. If you think Laurel and Hardy meeting Godzilla is a solid premise, you'll like this. If you're a fan of Monty Python-style humor, you'll love this! I would love to see this staged! Lots of fun! Bravo!

Yes! This short is so much fun! BARCELONA by Neil Radtke deserves to be seen over and over again! I really enjoy the fun characters - especially Skye with her mind aging in reverse. And talk about sticking the landing! Bravo! One thought though - perhaps a prequel is in order so we know what really happened in Barcelona?

A meet-cute with substance, FALLING IN TIME provides intellectual grist to chew on in an unlikely conversation between a truck driver and a scientist over the survival rates of falling cats. So much is provided in the subtext - the unspoken but inferred that will keep the mind occupied long after the piece is read or the play is staged. Wonderful conversational pace and a satisfying outcome. This is a well-written short!

I love this short! It's interesting, silly and a delight. Actual human contact with aliens likely wouldn't happen as imagined in C S Jone's ALIEN FARMER'S WIFE - but I can certainly hope they do! Simple, good fun where love is found in the oddest of circumstance. Lovely.

Neil Radtke provides a glimpse into the teen angst many of us have gone through (and some readers that still may) concerning the possibility of unplanned pregnancy. It's real, emotional and effective story-telling. POSITIVE+ should be on the short-list for every high school short-play festival (followed by a condom distribution). Well done!

A party at an old English estate, family secrets, insinuations, murder! What fun! Rachel Feeny-Williams produces an instant classic with A DEADLY ENGAGEMENT. As the plot twists and turns and the reveals come faster and more furious, the smiles for those that appreciate a good old-fashioned whodunit grow wider and wider. Was it the butler? I won't tell - you'll need to read it to find out. Or better yet - let's see this staged!