Recommended by Kim E. Ruyle

Julie Zaffarano has thrown mature actors into a messy situation where the one-liners and physical comedy fly at a frenetic pace in the Sweet (Sweat :-) Revenge Bakery. This play is great fun! I especially loved the tweets. Would love to see this staged!

Scott Sickles creates a terrifying dystopian future of a divided country and places two deeply affecting boys on each side of the divide. The burgeoning pen pal relationship of these clever and authentic boys, each experiencing their own hell, is the heart of the story. And it’s not just the bonds formed between the two boys that is so touching, it’s also the bonds that form between each of them and their protectors, their champions – Bashar for Anzor and Rico for Teddy. Brilliant!

Some of the best fairytales do not have happy endings. Case in point: Fairytale of the Street by Christopher Plumridge. This short piece packs a punch. Gritty, raw, realistic language that conveys the cold and suffering of a homeless man, a veteran. Would love to see this performed. Excellent!

God, I’d love to see this performed! With such beautiful words, beautiful language, Wanda laments her loss of words and language. This monologue is stunning in its poetry, theatricality, and meaning. Highly recommended.

Arts and Sciences is a clever cute-meet. Megan and Aaron meet between a couple of trees on a university campus and promptly get off on the wrong foot. The smart and natural dialogue zips right along, and the tension between them feels all too true. Superficially, these two undergrads have little in common, but each carries a unique personal cross. That they bear those crosses provides a point of connection that spurs a course correction and leaves us – and them – with hope. This 10-minute play is a winner.

A clever play within a play. Actors hilariously warring in character and out of character. Highly theatrical and great fun!

Complex flawed characters. Meaningful compelling themes. Sparkling witty dialogue. An engaging mystery. What’s not to love about this play? Who is Jimmy, really? And what is it that’s driving Danielle to go to such extremes to complete her mission? As a read, You Have Earned Bonus Stars is a page-turner. On the stage, it would be a stunner. Superlative in every way. Highly, highly recommended.

Read all six of the chapters in this anthology! The story starts with the thing that happened – a horrific tragedy – and follows with five vignettes, distinct stories with distinct characters but all related in some way to the inciting incident. Vince Gatton’s storytelling reveals the wide-ranging impact of violence and gives us characters for whom we care deeply. Really an outstanding collection of short plays!

Adolescents in the throes of young love and lust and angst speak their own language, and Gatton gets it. He finds rhythm and melody in the banter of Izzy, Rupe, and Mika. All the right notes. Excellent!

Vince Gatton knows how to suck you in. He’s sneaky. Nothing on the nose. One minute you’re gliding along on the rails of well-crafted but innocuous dialogue, just some chatter between three distinctly different ER nurses, barely a hint of a problem, but then – WHAM. You’re hit between the eyes. Can’t wait for the next chapter in this story!