Recommended by Kim E. Ruyle

In Falling Off the Edge, Paul Donnelly treats us to great romcom humor and tops it off with a dollop of thought-provoking drama. Leveraging the Costa Rican oceanside resort setting, he delivers truly funny dialogue and scenarios and then ventures into serious issues involving the consequence of life choices. The characters are so wonderfully complete and flawed and thoroughly likable. Very clever dialogue with some great one-liners, e.g., “Think of me as intellectually diabetic. Mind candy would put me in a coma.” Would love to see this staged.

You Don’t Know zips along like a rocket. I was leaning in from the first scene until The End. Rachel Feeney-Williams, is the exemplar when it comes to productivity, but she cranks out more than quantity – she also delivers high quality. In this case, an engaging mystery that makes us care about the characters and keeps us on edge wondering how things will be resolved. Fantastic.

Deb Cole’s well researched play really packs a punch. The sharply drawn and deeply flawed characters parade their delusions and deceit and conflict before us, all except Robbie who, at 14, seems to be the only one with clarity. It’s a wonderfully disturbing piece in the way that great theatre should be. I highly recommend Divine Truth.

Desperation shines light on the brutal truth: dating when one gets past a certain age is challenging. Beth has many horrible (comical, but nonetheless horrible) dating experiences but also creates many of her own barriers to finding romance. Her sister and girlfriends don’t find much luck in helping Beth get over those barriers, but enter Matt. His persistence and inventiveness must be admired. And as for Beth, well, you just have to read this play to find out if a self-described spinster finds romance. This play is great fun!

Phillip Middleton Williams tells stories that are personal and poignant and honest. In Cooler Near the Lake, he’s chosen the perfect setting and context, a lakeside summer home in Michigan and a memorial service, as the vehicle to allow the compelling cast of characters to disrobe and bare their secrets, expose their pain, and face the truth. The mastery of his craft is fully on display in this excellent piece. Bravo.

Grab a spot of tea and some Jammie Dodgers (or any biscuit will do) and settle in for another wonderful story from Vivian Lermond. She will transport you to a time and place in which a Christmas mystery will grab you, pull you in, and thoroughly engage you with the authenticity of the dialog and the sharply drawn characters. Wonderful!

In ten fleeting minutes, Dan Maurer demonstrates his storytelling chops with this poignant tale of a life and relationship that… No. No spoilers here. Just read this! Dan’s playwriting craftmanship is centerstage with superbly drawn characters, a true understanding of theatrics that are meaningful and engaging. Highly recommended.

Spinning a modernized version of Romeo and Juliet, Lawing gives us a poignant, well told tale of the dissolution of a romance. His story suggests questions and issues that might be further explored through the lens of a modernized Romeo and Juliet. Are humans by nature monogamous? To what extent is human monogamy, serial monogamy, polygyny, and all the other variants evolving? Culturally determined? And how does this shape the lives we live and the stories we tell? Loved this piece!

Skydiving on a first date – what a great premise. Deb Cole packs a lot into a few pages: crisp dialogue, strongly delineated characters, each with a distinct and meaningful arc. All that, and a satisfying conclusion, too. Excellent!

Promises made. Promises broken. A complex relationship disrupted by an interloper. Jaxson’s story takes unpredictable turns and leaves us with just the right amount of ambiguity.