Recommended by Toby Malone

A beautifully nuanced piece in an authentically Australian voice perfect for the current state of virtual theatre. A counselling session which segues from attempted jokes between therapist and client and moves into a borderline-concerning revelation about a tenacious pack of cigarettes who talks like Sauron from Lord of the Rings. Witty, spot-on writing with texture and life, and a killer of a last line. Great work.

So much of quarantine has been 'so near, but so far away'. This is a brilliant set-up for a socially distanced production, in separate rooms, with walkie-talkies. Past love flickers but it's still there, and the simplest thing in the world - 'just dropping by' - is no longer on the table. Would these two have a chance if they didn't have to socially distance? Maybe. Great fun to be had with the 'finger on the button', and a great, satisfying two-hander that anyone would recognize immediately.

A sprawling, ambitious yet intimate view of a life lived in stages, Doug DeVita's 'Phillie's Trilogy' is rightly praised for its heartbreaking scope, bruises and all, of a life lived with bravery and integrity. This is a play that bristles with fear: fear of lost potential, fear of irreversible adult damage on childhood psyche, fear of uncontrollable sexuality. Yet, it is a play about connections: family, friends, that stretches and spans generations yet never tries to 'fix' the flaws of a past wrong. People are flawed but we love them anyway. Phillie's bravery should guide us all.

A delightful chance encounter between one each of everyone's favorite black and white animals, who discuss captivity, casual racism, and inter-breed sex. Oh, and don't think we didn't notice your 'oh, shoots' line in there, Daniel. Lovely, gentle, robust stuff.

Pandemic time is messy, so this is a welcome antidote to the 'do I have to keep washing my hands, mom' blues. Iris the Virus and Billy Ray Virus are about as foul as you'd expect them to be, but the action really gets going when they give birth to gross germ babies and get ready to spread across the land, until... the heroic hand sanitizer takes them out. Fun, messy, splattery humor that would be a blast to stage.

A blistering monologue on the injustice of entitlement, as an unseen stranger dares to set their foot on Lawn Man's complexly beloved patch of Kentucky bluegrass, which evolves into a litany of complaints, brags, and declamations reflecting a personal dissatisfaction with the state of the world. Best get off the lawn.

A delightful short from Jack Levine that puts the egotistical community theatre actor in his place and demonstrates that if you follow the script and its emotional cues, most of the hard work is done. Plenty of fun and recognizable to anyone who's done any kind of community theatre!

A beautiful, intricately woven, lyrical short that could be about any long-term relationship in the world... until it's very clear that it isn't. Adding the brilliant condition of time and timelessness on to longing, ambition, and regret adds a melancholy sheen that intensifies as our couple scramble all the more desperately for what makes sense. Haunting and heartfelt, with a final stage direction to make you gasp.

This hit WAY too close to home, reading as I was at midterm time. The sense of student entitlement is strong in this one, written by a teacher and clearly bathed in the same exasperation any teacher feels when it's clear that they are dealing with someone who not only wants a free ride, but wants you to apologize for not making it easier. The twist at the end is a classic.

Time stops with three minutes to midnight and Father Time is summoned to answer to the fact that last year's New Year's Resolutions didn't come true, where it turns out that being Father Time is a way harder job than it seems. A really sweet, interesting take on our perpetual struggle with time, regret, and hope, where living in the moment is never quite as simple as it sounds.