Recommended by Kim E. Ruyle

Vivian Lermond gives life to Maudie, a woman haunted by a lifeless, long-gone marriage. You might ache with Maudie for her unrealized dreams. You might celebrate her newfound independence. Or, you might, like I do, despise the man who failed to love and appreciate the saucy, bawdy Maudie. A great monologue!

Love this monologue, a tale spun with ease by Matthew, a Vietnam vet with an eye for detail and a way with words. You can smell the salt, the sweat, the beer. Hear McGregor’s growl. Marvel at the way James calmly dispatches the brute. And cheer little Grace as she provides the final comeuppance. Bravo!

Long-held secrets and memories – good and bad – surface when two high school friends reconnect at their 25th reunion. The paths taken by Heather and Greg could not be more different, yet both paths have led to remarkably similar degrees of disappointment and disillusionment. Robert Weibezahl does a great job of defining very real characters, giving them realistic dialogue, and providing a satisfying slow reveal as secrets, layer by layer, are uncovered. Hold On is an excellent dramatic two-hander.

This play packs a punch! Dark Twist refers to the pipe tobacco smoked by the dean of faculty at St. Edmund’s School, but more to the point, Philip Middleton Williams has given us a tale about the dark twisted experience of Jeff and Richard, two alumni returning to the schools after 20 years to teach. The tradition, the hazing, the agony of their high school experience – I felt it all as Jeff and Richard reconnected, shared their memories, and, in surprising fashion, confront the dean. Bravo!

An amusing exchange between William, a long-married man, and Teddy, his future son-in-law. William is jaded, weary, and resigned to the frustrations of marriage. Teddy, on the other hand, is punch-drunk in love, and though William does his best to open Teddy’s eyes, it seems that, in the end, love truly is blind. The question is, for how long?

Scott spins a spell-binding tale about garden gnomes and monsters and... spells. I can imagine him laughing out loud as he wrote this – I know I was as reading it. How does he deliver something so entertaining, unexpected, and ultimately satisfying in about ten pages? I’ll never look at a garden gnome the same way again. Brilliant!

Hilarious! Scott’s written a superb play for zoom that delivers belly laughs. What better way to find a bright spot in the darkness of quarantine than to poke fun at how the quarantine complicates nearly everything in our lives – dating, doctor appointments, helicopter mothers, and more. A great read!

What absurdity can isolation create? And in only four days! Rachael’s play is a madcap exchange between two isolated individuals who have had the quarantine squash most of their ability to have rational conversation. Yet one or two rays of brilliance shine through, e.g., consider this: “What if cows gave root beer instead of milk? …Where would we get the ice cream for root beer floats?” A fun read!

Prolific Steven Martin has written a wonderfully creative short play. How does one overcome self-doubt and the inner voices that surely plague every writer? With talent, persistence, and – importantly – the support of a friend, a kindred spirit that serves as muse and moral support. Who can’t identify with the inner voices? Just a few gems… “You’re going to embarrass yourself.” “No one will ever produce this.” And, my favorite, “You grew up on a hog farm in West Central Indiana.” Read this play!

Wow. Doug DaVita has delivered an ambitious, sprawling saga that will hook you from open curtain and suck you in as it spans years and boundaries. The inner turmoil for each character is palpable, especially so for Phillie/Philip. His complex and mostly painful relationships with, it seems, everyone in his life – Barbie and Keith, his mom, a lecherous priest and bad-tempered nun – they’re all gut-wrenching. And Phillie, to the dismay of others, finds catharsis by writing and publishing his story. Brilliant.