Recommended by Lisa Dellagiarino Feriend

Wow, what a great play. "The Rock & The Hard Place" follows a daughter trying anything and everything she can to get her wrongfully convicted father's sentence overturned before his execution date. In addition to being a compelling story with pages that practically turn themselves, it is a powerful reminder of how flawed the American justice system is. This is the kind of work that is a call to arms. I loved it.

I love this fairy tale twist in which Prince Charming's kisses can break maidens' spells, but he'd rather be kissing boys. With humor (that both kids AND grown ups will enjoy), puppets, and the normalization of queer relationships, this is a play I would love to take my kids to - and one they would thoroughly enjoy.

This monologue is a lot of fun. I'm a sucker for a character chattering away in an upbeat voice about all the horrible things that have happened to them. A very entertaining piece with a great button at the end!

There was a moment in my life, after becoming a mother, when I realized that no matter how I tried to warn my kids of what's to come, or advise them on what my lived experience has taught me that they should (or shouldn't) do, they will never listen to me, just as I didn't listen to my parents, because we all insist on figuring it out and learning lessons for ourselves. This one-minute play is the dramatization of that fact. Simple but profound.

Wow, this play is great. A supervisor who committed suicide is discovered on Monday, and the play follows his office mates as they try to slog through the week, processing the grief they feel from his suicide and from the work that they do. Although it deals with heavy topics, "Bereavement Leave" is a quick read with engaging dialogue and many truly funny moments. I especially loved how each character was so distinctly their own person, even though their names are just numbers. What a different, wonderful play!

This short play is incredibly clever and funny, and then subtly turns and becomes very sweet and touching. I'm sure this would be a big hit in any festival of short plays. I loved every minute!

This monologue is heartbreaking. A young person about to commit suicide tries to find their cat to say goodbye, talking to the cat as they search. It is beautiful and sad and also hopeful. What a great opportunity for a young actor.

Well this is delightful. I didn't know where it was going to go when it started, but then a certain someone enters, and you'll laugh for five pages. What a fun short piece!

Oh my gosh, THIS PLAY! It is so funny (even the stage directions!) and then it will turn on a dime and be all of a sudden sad or touching. I love love love the dialogue. Everyone speaks like a real human, in sentence fragments, with stops and restarts. (Also, as someone with celiac disease, I appreciated the running bit about there not being gluten-free options on the retreat, because there NEVER ARE. They say there will be, and there never are.) I absolutely adored this and can't wait to read more of Gina Femia's work!

I have been meaning to read more of Vince Gatton's plays related to (the fabulous!) "You Have Earned Bonus Stars," and I'm not sure what's taken me so long. It's hard to write a truly suspenseful play that's only 10 minutes long, but this sure is one. Wow. It's terrific.