Recommended by Toby Malone

A brilliantly structured, deeply-felt examination of anxiety personification that never veers too far into caricature, and never dismisses the manifestations of anxiety as insignificant. The playwright's achievement here is to build multiple layers to the representation of anxiety, in senses of personal failure, family expectation, sexuality, and race, but locks all of those elements inside of an escape room that never becomes heavy-handed. Sparkling, crackling wit, real relationships, and characters who are flawed but relatable. A wonderful piece of work.

As the tagline suggests, "it's in the title", but the simplicity and blazing speed of this premise would be a whiplash contribution to any evening of short plays. One of those pieces where you think "damn, why didn't I think of that?"

A beautifully structured choral meditation on the baffling but universally understood habit of eating crayons, but adds great texture and heart to the characters, with an incredible use of a Chorus ("Taste the rainbow" made me snort-laugh). This would be a great addition to any short play festival, with plenty of levels and layers that make this fun piece way deeper than it has any right to be. Great work.

A freewheeling, mile-a-minute romp through a cascading torrent of ten-minute play tropes that are not only established but are masterfully recalled and interwoven into a manic scene that would likely make all the other playwrights at the ten-minute play festival look nervously around, exposed. Self-aware and caustic, this piece avoids cynicism and leans into the joyous ridiculousness of what we do. Great stuff.

A tightly told, impactful story that plays out in countless households across the country every day. As a father, I see my kids in Danny, trying to do the right thing even though mask mandates make their days uncomfortable, a heartbreak for a loss of freedom for a good reason. As an educator, I see the seniors I teach, desperately wishing that they could have a carefree senior year like everyone before them. This is caring, loving family drama that goes right to the heart of what it is to negotiate back to school in this time. Well done.

I'm always curious when a play is heavily recommended on its first day posted, and DC Cathro's 'Goldfish' didn't disappoint. A self-destructive, sordid setup leads to a Twilight Zone-style denouement that is unexpected but deeply rewarding as the tables turn on a predator. Chilling work.

Succinct, menacing, and brutal, Monica Cross's '...In Refrigerators' explores a dangerous trope by inflicting its reality on one of its perpetuators, but removes the safety-cord of a 'Saw'-like challenge to escape. Here, our antagonist has no hope, just like those one-dimensional women he writes. Chilling stuff.

Daniel Prillaman's gift for character shines in this muscular period piece that wallows in the brutality and bleakness of the low middle ages, in a Europe just getting its Christian feet under it but before the Vikings converted and settled down. Add a pair of fangs and a promise to return, you know that the sequel is going to be a joy for Daniel to write as we see just how diligently young Edmund trained with his axe. Puts the dark right in the dark ages.

A haunting, lyrical one-minute play that says so much in what it leaves unsaid. The palpable sense of loss and longing from this long-lost entity called earth forces us to reminisce about the glory of life and the incredible void we hurtle towards. It's a play that many would have made longer and filled out more. Thank goodness Weaver didn't.

The perfect Halloween's eve read! Jacquie Floyd-Priskorn brings her typical pep and energy to play on a madcap, irresistible piece with the utterly brilliant conceit of casting the audience as ghosts in need of 'flushing' out of a haunted warehouse. As many groaner dad-jokes as is legally permissible, Jacquie leads us fearlessly through audience interaction so expertly that you can see what a scream this would be in person. Ahh, the puns are rubbing off! But seriously, have a read. What a hoot.