Recommended by Marcia Eppich-Harris

There's a reason we're not supposed to be friends with our doctors, and Martha Patterson's "Target of Ridicule" makes the reason plain in case it wasn't already obvious. How are you supposed to share friendly banter with someone who has seen or felt around all your intimate parts? It's uncomfortable to think about. I sort of wonder if it's hard for docs like that to make friends. If the doctor in this play is any indication, I'd guess yes! Ripe for comic performance!

What we lose as we grow out of childhood is the unfettered right to blast our emotions out into the world, but what we gain is a grand appreciation for joy in small things. Levine is a master at capturing the vulnerability of a man who MUST behave appropriately, regulating his emotions. Still, even the greatest stoic is not immune to the gentle touch and smile of a baby, and the dad in this monologue finds joy in the indescribable instincts and sensitivity of fatherhood. Gorgeous, touching, sweet. I love this!

Wow. This play is an incredible suspense drama. I completely relate to the friend who is trying to be helpful, but is also overwhelmed and doesn't know what to say. And then, the guilt and anxiety that Clay has to deal with is also just incredible and visceral. Without giving too much away, Vince Gatton lets us know what Clay is suffering with, and his trauma leads to yet another horrific consequence. I was stunned when I finished it. Wow. Great play!!

A common enemy brings together two people from different political spectrums, and it's quite a laugh. Cornered brilliantly shows that people who don't have all that much in common really can get along. It's hard to do, admittedly, but looking for the good in people, recognizing danger when we see it, and making plans together are takeaways that we could all embrace -- if we allow ourselves! This is a great play!

I love it when a device really works, and in "That Moment When," it really works. Martin's upending of convention shows two potential lovers' vulnerabilities in ways that we simply don't talk about, and it all culminates in a one-word, two letter climax, "Hi." It's a lovely, gorgeous play. Well done.

I feel like typos are an unexploited source of comedy in plays, and Kelly McBurnette-Andronicos is here to rectify the situation. I absolutely love this play. It's hilarious from beginning to end -- smart, seductive, playing on so many tropes and then blasting them out of the water. I want to see this on stage. Badly. Bravo!!!

The twist at the end of the monologue is what makes it truly great. I can only imagine spending 18+ years in isolation only to emerge to a world that has continued to turn without you. And then, you have to face it. Brutal! -- and effective!

Short, sweet, and hilarious. And FYI, dude, TOO LATE. Love it!!

Roar seems simple at first, but there's a real depth in the play about what a parent's responsibility is to his or her child when talking about imaginary things like dragons (or superheroes, or whatever). It's crushing to a child to say you can't be XYZ when they grow up. The play makes you wonder why anyone should have to face that reality, and yet, here we are. The sweetness of the father-son relationship brings you back to your favorite childhood memories and makes you wonder, "What if?" Lovely.

The use of choric narration in The Ballad of Leslie is an excellent twist on an old trope. With Leslie realizing that the chorus is narrating her life for some reason, it changes everything. I love that you think the play is going to be about one thing and then it turns into something else entirely. Tons of comic potential here! Love it!