Recommended by Mike Byham

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!

Snappy dialogue in sci-fi settings? Sign me up! Three different stories are told in a similar voice eerily bringing 1960's era Rod Serling to mind. So much fun.

A very sweet - and sometimes sassy - short play perfectly designed for the romantic, sports-lover! Rachel Feeny-Williams tells the story in short vignettes comically narrated by a Greek chorus comprising a couple of football announcers. You will find yourself rooting for the "young player" to score as he consistently finds the ball at his feet without being entirely sure how to advance. Engaging and very well done.

Insightful and thought-provoking, this well-written one act by Jackson Castello entertains throughout. The characters are fully developed and Castello’s use of language results in natural dialogue. This play should be on the radar of high school drama teachers looking for solid original works. Very well done.