Recommended by Toby Malone

A typically chilling, human tale of suspense from Daniel Prillaman where you'll never look at a goose in the same way again. I always love the fact that Daniel follows his instincts so clearly, and when the story demands a hard left-turn, he takes it, no matter what path you thought you were on before. That's a real blessing.

An efficient, highly compact adaptation of Mary Shelley's gothic classic which impressively manages to hit the major beats of the novel with only three actors, in a workable, interesting company structure and deft touches in phrasing. A great achievement.

A witty, whip-smart 10 minute retelling of the encounter between Perseus and the apparently hideous gorgon Medusa, which turns all of our assumptions on their head and questions just who the monster really is. Empowering, smart, and knowing, this is a retelling that asks us to look at history from the other side and consider that even a demigod can be hapless when you consider the ridiculousness of their ask. Nice work.

Mike Solomonson takes what is an emotional, difficult subject and infuses joy into every moment, with a personification of a military service dog by an actor that is never played for goofy laughs but show the distance Kelly has come since returning from the warzone. A beautiful piece about trust, love, and connection, with a touching conclusion. Nicely done.

A chilling microplay that flings us 120 years into the future and reminds us about just how insignificant all of our self-centred nonsense is as a species if we carry on behaving as though we are invulnerable. The arrogance of humanity is just breathtaking, and Steve Martin looks at it on the micro, micro level.

Not much good has come out of this pandemic but the new canvas on which gifted artists can work is a true bright spot. Seeing what Max Gill is able to do with a fascinating situation (nearly-divorced couple find themselves stranded in a NYC apartment and only communicate via Zoom) is truly inspiring, as we see the evolution of this separation through the lens of the collective fear, uncertainty, and furloughing that our society has endured. Heartbreaking and true, human and honest. Lovely work all round, and eminently produceable.

A beautiful example of the magic that Nick Malakhow wields when it comes to character and narrative, we meet two fully fleshed-out, compelling, human characters that I found myself needing to continually remind myself were just high school kids, bearing as they did the weight of the world and feeling so alone, even in company. Malakhow expertly weaves touches of teen anxiety, pressure, sexuality, and race but never in a prescriptive way: this is a heartbreaking, all-too-real examination of what we ask of teens as they figure things out in a vacuum. Beautifully rendered, which is no surprise at all.

An intricate, thoughtful meditation on hanging on to the past even as the future hurtles toward you at an unsustainable rate. Gabriella Bonamici crafts a speculative fiction piece which feels more likely than we may be comfortable, with the earth used up and the privileged few rocketing to Mars to start new colonies. Through the lens of organ harvesting and brain-altering surgeries, we explore questions of what is worth leaving it all behind for.

A first date goes downhill rapidly due to misplaced jokes that suggest that the dating algorithm isn't always to be trusted. A chilling 10 minute piece that will throw you for a loop as we realize that not everyone is always what they say they are.

Y'know, before I read Steven Martin's take on Emily McClain's style, I never noticed the groups of three thing: guess I'll have to dive back in to Emily's back catalogue with that astute observation in mind. What a beautiful thing this community is!