Recommended by Toby Malone

Jacquie Floyd-Priskorn takes a rich idea - a zoo exhibit featuring the last Cupid on earth - and plumbs its possibilities. This Cupid is no sassy wisecracker, but is rather a wise, patient, and loving being (of course he is) even in the face of hatred and violence. This is a play that says so much more than what is written, and exposes us to what love really is. A really well developed piece.

In this short comedy, Busser takes all of the tropes we are familiar with in the slasher genre - dank, scary basement; frightened, sexy teenagers; terrifying serial killer - and flips it all on its head. It features competitive slut-shaming (because as each character knows, it's a certain level of promiscuity that guarantees death at the hands of the killer), a ridiculously-named killer who not only lives up to the name but arrives curiously underprepared, and some font choices which really bring things alive. Terrific work.

A heartbreaking short that explores one decisive moment that breaks a pattern of homophobic abuse: we yearn for Sidney to find a way out of his intolerant father’s house and to take the advice of the Movie-star he hallucinates, to become the Pink Matador. But we also sense the challenge ahead, and it will be torrid. Even so, Lawing finds a glimpse of hope in the hopeless, a place to go where Sidney can finally be himself. Well done.

A gut-punch of a short that hones directly in on the hypocrisy of NIMBY do-gooders who cannot see the consequences of their actions, or that barely helpful acts of selfish charity does not cancel out their fundamentally unChristian attitudes. Great work.

I've always loved The Bacchae, but this is an adaptation that really digs into what makes it such a thrilling ride. By casting the audience as Maenids (complete with drinking games whose rules are determined by acclamation) and encouraging a riotous energy, Pentheus really has no hope. Jillian Blevins skilfully uses Greek story structure and Euripides' narrative beats to help the story gallop along, but the chaos of the Bacchantes overflows into the audience and it feels impossible to avoid being swept up in it. Really cleverly done.

An intriguing concept beautifully realized, Lee R. Lawing takes us inside the main players in just about every '...walks into a bar' joke you've ever heard, and gives them all life, as sometimes weary, sometimes entitled, quasi-unionized for their role in the gags they are part of that day. And then, the Widow shows up and changes the entire paradigm. Quick witted with a surprising conclusion, this is an excellent piece of work.

So much can be said in so few words, particularly if you share a regional dialect and mutual understanding of how it's used. Even for someone with zero knowledge of Clevelander expressions, David Hansen's short play is clear as a bell and would be a delightful acting exercise, particularly for young actors from the area!

A lovely play that beautifully dramatizes that moment of awakening that every queer teen has had at some point or another, where suddenly something they see hits them like a lightning bolt of a glimpse at what the world could be. Here, Wade spots a pair of Calvin Klein underwear, played by a monosyllabic actor who draws on his fascination. Worst of all, mom is right THERE. This is a piece that tugs at those confusing days, but in the piece's conclusion, we're certain that there are brighter, steadier days ahead for Wade. Well done.

I love a play that removes one of our senses and forces us to heighten the others. Here, a play in a claustrophobic cave setting lets the mind run wild since, as the title suggests, the lantern was kicked over just before the play begins, and the two boys are thrown into a panic as they are trapped underground. Sinister, spooky, and entirely relatable. Great work.

A delightful short that poses a new question: since Jesus was known to heal the sick, does this mean every irritating fool in town with a slight cough or unexplained lesion on their body would be bugging him for a quick miracle? And would they let a little thing stop them like the fact that Jesus is in the middle of being crucified? Just like every doctor and nurse puts up with, the demand for 'hey, can you take a quick look at this?' is nowhere more problematic than in 33AD. Nicely done.