Recommended by Lisa Dellagiarino Feriend

We all know of actors who really, REALLY immerse themselves as they prepare for a role. This short play focuses on the significant other forced to deal with the eccentricities of their method. It is clever and funny, with two great roles for women and a fun challenge for a man to mine a slew of different ways to deliver the word 'quack.'

I love this. The hypocrisy and complexity of America's beginnings are presented so vibrantly, theatrically, and refreshingly. What a wonderful piece.

I adore the things Daniel Prillaman's mind churns out. A humorous situation turns horrifying as Arlo and Val realize that the Italian Garden Factory's unlimited bread deal is truly unlimited. I especially loved the little vignettes showing the passage of time and the ending - the whole time I was wondering how on earth this story could possibly end, and it turns out the answer is: perfectly. (And as a person who is no longer able to eat bread, this play helps me feel less upset about it. You guys, there is SO MUCH bread. Everywhere. What a stage picture.)

Oh my goodness, what a tour de force this play is! Cassidy Byron's play about a young man with anxiety and depression and the girlfriend who tries to help him without losing herself in the process is such a perfect depiction of how mental health issues affect not only those who suffer from them, but those who love those who suffer from them as well. This play is beautiful and devastating.

This play is so unexpected! It's about a former Secret Service agent struggling with PTSD from the Kennedy assassination, but it's also about his unhappy wife, a sword-swallowing widow, and an effort to lift everybody from the places where they're stuck. I enjoyed the twists and surprises in the story, and I would love to see this play on its feet, with the projections and stage images. Great stuff!

This dark short is fantastic. It uses humor (and a zombie apocalypse!) to portray all the impossible demands and dangers placed on teachers. What a wonderful piece with a perfect ending. Genius!

I love Aly Kantor’s dialogue! This short is a fantastic two-hander about two young women waiting for test results, and their situation feels like the perfect metaphor for the real-life situation many (most?) girls find themselves in, where they’re told they have to be one way, subdued and restrained, but they really want to rage and scream and not conform to the expectations/demands of others. I love this so much.

John Busser's shorts are always a good time. This one takes place in Hell, where Damian's mom is feeling good (and that is bad). Time to exorcise that good spirit out of her! I love the backward nature of Hell and the clever dialogue. This play is fun, smart, and original, and would definitely be a standout in an evening of shorts.

I love this short so much. The premise is a high school group getting together to work on a school project, and there are text versions as well as physical versions of all the students, so you can see the drama happening both in the room and over the phones. The whole play is a rapid-fire ping-pong of dialogue and texts that is so, so clever and well executed. This is one of the most creative pieces I've read in a while, and I'm sure it would be an enormous hit with audiences, especially teenage audiences.

Well this is adorable. There is so much physical comedy in this short piece, as well as visual gags. I think the visual I am most delighted by is that one of these three seniors (who are meant to be played by high schoolers) wears a toupee. I don't know if a toupee on top of a teenager's hair is what's intended, but it's what I pictured in my mind, and I'm into it. Who knew completing a puzzle could be so funny (or so stressful)? This short is a breath of fresh air that would be a crowd pleaser!