Recommended by Rand Higbee

As a former Math teacher, I've tried writing a few Math plays myself...without a lot of luck. But Steven Martin gets the tone right in this short play, perfect for elementary students. Inez is a whiz a Math and the other kids are both amazed and perplexed by her. But is she really any different than, say, the kid who can run faster than any other student? Or the kid who can make up jokes better than any other student? A fun play with some fun lessons.

One could almost call this "audience immersion" as we seem to be part of a city council meeting happily tell us all that eminent domain is going to ruin all of our lives. But don't worry; be happy! Funny yet scary, because it all seems a bit too real.

I saw this one in Minneapolis a few years ago and it has with me since. A small cast, easy to stage play with a lot to say. Where does privacy begin and end? And where do responsibilities to your fellow man begin and end? If you have the opportunity to save a life, are you obligated to so?

A folklorist arrives at a small, Rhode Island town to conduct research on a local legend. He finds a few hints about the legend, but mostly he discovers a community of quaint New England folk who don't seem all that eager to talk. Jeanne Beckwith has created a fun Twilight Zone-like tale that will keep you guessing (and laughing) all the way to the end.

A couple teenage best friends waiting for a bus and talking like teenage best friends do...with one big difference. One of the friends may be dying and they both know it. In fact, this may be the last time they ever see each other. A short but hard hitting play from Barry Levine.

I saw "Heart" at the Last Frontier Theatre Conference a few years back. At the time I was recovering from a lengthy illness that had required some extended hospital stays. Perhaps that is why so much of this play really hit home for me. I remember laughing one minute and then wincing at some hard hitting truths the next. I heart-ily recommend this play.

This is Tom Barna doing what Tom Barna does best: Taking modern history/current events and turning them upside down. Hillary won, Donald lost, Bill is trying his best to be second banana, Monica keeps turning up like a bad penny... Give it a read. Blue State or Red State, it doesn't matter. It's just fun.

You are familiar with the conceit: A writer is confronted by one of his own characters. But playwright Philip Middleton Williams takes this conceit and runs with it in directions you aren't expecting, exploring relationships and life choices and so much more. Wise and witty, give this one a read.

I saw this one at the Last Frontier Theatre Conference and it is highly recommended for anyone who believes our smart phones are becoming too smart. Or for anyone who believes our phones are taking over our lives. Or, really, just for anyone who wants a good laugh.

This is a fun superhero short from Tom Moran. It both serves as a homage to the genre while at the some time making glorious fun of it. There are several LOL moments...and a ticking time bomb as well!