Recommended by Kim E. Ruyle

Jack Levine delivers another witty ten-minute play, this one a whale of a tale. Where else to get stuck in a series of endless deja vus than on a cruise ship where the days are likely to feel repetitive? This is not only fun, it’s intriguing.

“Get thee behind me, Satan.” And thus, Jesus overcame the forty days of fasting and temptation in the wilderness. In Jacquelyn Floyd-Priskorn’s adaptation of the story, El is the tempter, and Jay the tempted – tempted with fancy equipment and a phone to order fast food. This is a well told parable made relevant for modern audience and one that I expect will find many venues for production. Nicely done!

I was hooked from the opening monologue… pitch perfect noir! Maggie McDonald Condon really delivers in this piece. The hard-boiled dick with his hemorrhoids and snappy dialogue. The oh-so-blonde, red-lipped dame. And a slithering snake of a plot that rears up and sinks its fangs in the end. Bravo!

What great roles for a pair of acrobatic actors! Competing jewel thieves clash when they simultaneously attempt a heist. The actors are placed in a fantastic setting, attired in slinky costumes, given clever dialogue, and a wonderfully rewarding surprise ending. And I love the title that reflects the aptly named characters. Delightful!

St. James gives us a lot in this short play. A suspenseful mystery, a bit of Shakespeare, a flawed but likeable protagonist, a creepy and inscrutable antagonist (or, is he?), and an ending that leaves us wanting more. Well done.

Film festivals will love this wonderful short about the sacrifices we make for love and personal hygiene. There’s plenty of comedic conflict, but the couple handles it all with admirable aplomb. By the time they’ve secured new accommodations, they seem to have figured out the key to accommodating each other. Lots of fun here!

A Machiavellian theme runs through Dan Taube’s short play that explores sibling malevolence and manipulation played out between sisters in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, post-WW2. The characters are well defined – the younger sister sweetly innocent, the older sister, on the other hand, shrewdly disguises her callous opportunism and disregard for her sister. Well done!

I love this short play that plays in a lighthearted way with some really deep issues about the realities of life. For every experience we have as humans, there’s a counterbalance. Joy – sadness; love – hate; peace – war; health – sickness; Book of Mormon - Mama Mia; and on and on and on it goes. The question is, how much good does it take to offset the bad? Bravo!

According to Shakespeare, “The sins of the fathers are to be laid upon the children.” In Dan Taube’s play, Women Like Us, it’s even more about the sins of the mothers. This is a multilayered, multigenerational, woman-centered play that confronts really tough issues head on. In the end, we have hope that Alice has found the catharsis that will break the cycle perpetuated by her mother and grandmother. Well done.

A wild airplane ride with a mother and daughter on a mission to provide a fitting sendoff to a father and former husband. Quirky characters, sparkling dialogue, and effects that really add to the comedy. I’d love to see this staged.