Recommended by Lisa Dellagiarino Feriend

This play about a ten year old processing his dad's sudden death with the help of a friend, his tree house, and his friend's magic tent is poignant and captivating and a wonderful vehicle for two young actors (though not YOUNG young - the kids are portrayed by actors in their 20s). I was hooked from the start and loved watching Martin work through things as he played. Kids notice more than we think they do, and this play reflects that beautifully.

It's hard out there for an actor. You can pour your heart and soul into a role and then they don't even show your face in the final cut. This funny short is all about one such example. Matthew's friends are so sweet as they try to cheer him up. This is a fun homage to aspiring actors - and I totally googled the Matt LeBlanc ketchup commercial after I finished reading it.

This play is a beautifully written reminder of how difficult your 20s are, when you're wrestling with who you want to be and who you want to love. This four-character play chronicles about a year in the lives of Sam, Gwen, Scott, and Abby, beginning right after Sam and Gwen broke up. The action is interrupted four times as each character gives a monologue, and the ending is a beautiful summation of everything we've seen. I wish I'd had this much insight and been this articulate in my 20s! The dialogue feels so natural and the angst is so familiar.

What a heartbreaking story, so beautifully told. It's all the little details that got me, like the description of nice footsteps vs angry footsteps, or the teacher mentioning alien abduction, tentatively trying to probe. This would be a very powerful play to see live, and it serves as an important reminder that there are kids like Joey hidden in plain sight everywhere, and we have a responsibility to keep an eye out for them and try to help. This plays is devastating but ultimately hopeful, as life so often is.

I love the twists in this short play as you figure out what's going on and what's at stake and how little time there is for Jacqueline to figure things out. Her realization of the significance of what's in the desk is great, and the line "I'm in a Russian doll of hells" made me straight up chortle.

There is so much to this short play! At first it seems like the story of a couple with a naughty dog, but as the play goes on you realize why this couple owns the dog and your perception of these two characters as individuals and as a unit shifts. It's subtle and surprising, and I love that this play tackles a Big Subject without being too heavy or depressing. People who live through - and continue to grapple with - big, hard things still find reasons to smile, as this play demonstrates perfectly.

I was hooked from the opening of this one, where the Serenity Prayer ended with "Play ball!" I love, love, love this play told through (mostly) monologues of women who play Dungeons and Dragons together! (And you don't need to know anything about DnD to enjoy the play - the characters explain everything you need to know.) I was actively trying to pick a favorite monologue as I read, but whichever one I had just finished became my favorite every time. I loved how they all wove together and the layers that existed between these women, their pasts, &their futures.

Yes! I don't remember the original version of The Little Mermaid all that well (other than her turning into sea foam at the end), but it always bothered me how quick Disney's mermaid was to give up her voice for a guy she barely knew. Aly Kantor's short play is a loose retelling of the story set during the Holocaust, and Zelde has a harder time choosing whether or not to ditch her voice than Ariel did. The story is set up perfectly, leading to her final choice, and there still manages to be humor along the way. So good!

Amazing! A bunch of gay folks from history living in the "special place in hell" reserved for them have decided to spread Gay Panic and fight for their freedom. I had to read the play when I saw that Rutherford B. Hayes was in it (I mean, how many plays is that guy in??) but my favorite character was William Dorsey Swann. His outfits and his unapologetic attitude were amazing! If pride month were a play, it would be this one. I loved the energy, the historical people I learned about, and the whole concept of this one.

I love this short! It’s sweet and funny, and we can all use Jesus’s reminder to stop being stupid (well, I can, at least.) Fabiola Decius has created a perfectly structured, tight and engaging ten minute play. Lovely!