Recommended by Tom Moran

The Powerpoint is such a ubiquitous form of communication I'm surprised it hasn't been incorporated into more drama. Here McNeill mines the format for a winning mixture of laughs and pathos, as a seemingly innocuous Ted(ish) talk leaps through a bewildering logjam of corporate jargon, personal history and self-doubt. Hard to imagine a more engrossing hourlong slideshow.

I had the pleasure of hearing "Rice, Sam" read at the Valdez Theatre Conference. It's a charming piece, which applies a time-tested theatrical technique - think "Rashomon," which is BTW the inspiration for the title - to a long-forgotten moment in baseball history. It's tight, charming, and funny, and wisely leaves the audience to reach their own conclusions. A great choice for fans of baseball and novel narrative construction.

Had the sheer joy of attending a reading of this at the Valdez Theatre Conference. An absolutely hysterical take on theatrical conventions that starts out as "On Golden Pond" and ends as, well, something else altogether. I read the play it beforehand and wish I hadn't, because this piece is a surprise better left unspoilt.

It's hard to build up to a decent scare in such a short piece, but Boogie Man succeeds, and ends at just the right moment. Excellent piece for a short Halloween festival.

I heard this read at the Valdez Theatre Conference and it was definitely one of the best pieces on offer at the event. Equal parts quirky small-town ensemble piece and full-grown horror story, the play starts small and continually builds in stakes and tension until the fate of the world sits on these characters' shoulders, and we're with them every step of the way. Equal parts funny and horrifying, and spectacularly timely, with a fantastic coda at the end.

Saw this in the 10-minute play slam at the Valdez Theatre Conference and enjoyed the heck out of it. Clever, funny, biting, timely, and just the right length to make the central joke. Some of the best political satire and comedy succeeds by simply displacing our contemporary concerns to a discordant place and time, and Gernand has done this here to great success. Worth your time.

A fascinating slice-of-life piece set during a momentous evening for film director Fritz Lang, who must confront both his wife’s infidelity and an invitation to make films for Hitler. Cathro’s two-hander starts off strong and maintains tension throughout as its leads argue compellingly about their futures, both personal and professional. The piece succeeds on its own merits, but also feels incredibly timely as so many people now face an impossible choice between their integrity and their jobs.

A childhood bully begs for absolution from his victim in this affecting, LGBTQ-themed two-hander. The piece succeeds based on the strength of its well-drawn, relatable and sympathetic characters, who both journey through entirely believable arcs. It’s a play about (belatedly) growing up, and about just how lived experience can change a person – or calcify them. Recommended for anyone who’s ever experienced bullying, either as a victim or a perpetrator.

A dark, ridiculous, laugh-a-minute farce about a small town filled with small people. Segall's ensemble piece is a sort of modern spin on commedia del arte, featuring a small cast playing multiple characters (even in the same scene), an over-the-top plot, and elements of music and broad physical comedy. It's a joy on the page and I expect a staging would be relentlessly entertaining. Recommended for any theatre wanting to get back to the basics.

Walker's two-hander sets out to address a question horror films never ask: What happens to the "final girl" after the credits roll? The answer reveals itself over the course of this absorbing and unsettling mix of horror film, police procedural and psychodrama. The dialogue is underlain and amplified by the expressionistic staging, which lets us into the head (sort of!) of the main character as she recounts her story. Visually striking, full of surprises and engaging throughout.