Recommended by Rand Higbee

The playwright, Evan Baughfman, credits several Beatles songs for inspiration here, but I think he may have been inspired by a Bob Dylan lyric as well: "Take care of all of your memories said Nick, For you cannot relive them..." And yet, that is exactly what the character Bob attempts to do here. "A Berry Nice Memory" is a fun bit of sci-fi/fantasy.

Two old writing partners, whose careers have since gone in different directions, decide to get back together to write one more play. As usual with Williams' plays, we are given warmth, humor and real characters in real situations. There is no good guy vs. bad guy here, just 2 men (well, 3 including their agent) simply trying to sort things out and move forward in their lives.

Two "friends" meet outside of a fellow friend's funeral, one refusing to let the other inside. Slowly we untangle the reasons why. This is my first encounter with one of Eleanor Evans-Wickberg's plays and I need to read more.

A ten-minute musical must be a bear to write, but Arianna Rose and Chandra McClelland pull it off this nifty little play about the artist Eduardo Byrell. We all know that most painters don't become famous until after they die...right?

A short, goofy (but I mean "goofy" in a good way) play about an aging teacher who supplements his earnings in a most unusual way. Philip Middleton Williams has written a 10-minute play with some very funny lines, rather disturbing mental images and a bit of an O'Henry ending.

A play about family and identity. Will and PJ are planning their upcoming wedding when they get an unexpected visit from the father Will has never met and the brother he never knew he had. This is a continuation of playwright Philip Middleton Williams' "All Together" series, but you don't have to be familiar with the earlier plays to understand this one. Few playwrights out there write about gay issues and family issues better than Mr. Williams.

It is July of 1969. Friends have gathered at an almost idyllic lakeside community for fun, food, swimming and, of course, the chance to watch a bit of history unfold. But reality, in the form of the Vietnam War, suddenly intrudes. Williams juxtaposes the grim realities of war, and all the societal challenges of the time, with the enormous feelings of optimism that the Apollo 11 mission brought. I would love to see this coming-of-age story on stage.

"Reasonable Doubt" is a nifty little one-act about two men waiting to perform their civic duty by serving on a jury. The two get into a philosophical discussion about our justice system and how it is influenced by everything from the constitution to TV shows. One of the men conceals a little surprise which makes him a true insider on this "trial by jury" business. This is a good challenge for two actors and I would love to see it staged.

I had the pleasure of seeing this play at the 2024 Midwest Dramatists Conference in Kansas City. What if "Romeo and Juliet" had a post credit scene like the Marvel superhero movies? And what if it occurred just before Juliet's death? Greg Lam takes this idea and runs with it, but to say much more would be telling. A fun, quick romp!

I was fortunate to see this play at the 2024 Midwest Dramatists Conference in Kansas City. You might think this is going to be a play about baseball, but you would be wrong. Instead it's a dystopian look at Florida in the near future when book banning has gotten completely out of control. Funny and thought provoking at the same time.