Recommended by Lisa Dellagiarino Feriend

I am the target audience for a musical about American history, and this one is delightful. The presidency of Warren Harding unfolds as a musical review staged by his wife and members of his administration shortly after his death. It's funny and sharp and a good reminder that no morally bankrupt administration has single-handedly unraveled the country yet. I really enjoyed it.

I saw this play pop up on the NPX homepage so many times that I had to add it to my reading list, and it didn't disappoint! A short play about two estranged friends who went through something traumatic, "The Silence of My Lonely Room" has the kind of beautiful dialogue you expect from Scott Sickles and is a great depiction of what it's like to struggle with mental health issues. This is really great work.

This is adorable! A first date on Zoom goes horribly - but delightfully - awry when Ezra's whole family joins the call. I loved the jokes and the private messages between Ezra and his date. I would love to see a production of this sweet play!

This short play is great! An exploration of what is and isn't art, and what is and isn't selling out, "The Nude Scene" moves at a steady clip with great dialogue as an actor and director argue over whether or not it would be best for the actor to do the scene without her clothes on. Clever and charming, I really enjoyed this one!

This powerful Zoom play about police brutality is timely and engaging. Information is released slowly and steadily, causing you to be constantly reevaluating what you think of the officer being questioned. I especially loved how, as the play progresses, truth becomes blurrier and blurrier and it becomes increasingly difficult to tell what is real and what is imagined.

Well, that was a timely read. “Delete” tackles gun violence in such an original, effective way. This short play says a lot in only a few pages and has a devastating ending. What a great piece about a subject that unfortunately isn’t going away any time soon.

Well, this is delightful. A dark comedy about a serial killer (but a good one - he only kills bad people!) and the woman who accidentally stumbles upon his murder cabin, "The Murder Play with Jack & Melissa" is hilarious from start to finish. I loved the dialogue and the physical bits and just how smart and dark the humor was. Also I learned a lot about how to dispose of a dead body - a nice bonus. If you're looking for a comedy, you should 100% read this one.

Oooh this play! Three nuanced, complex characters find themselves together in the middle of the night when one becomes very sick and his potential one night stand calls the emergency contact in his phone, which ends up being the ex-boyfriend. I loved how all three are both flawed and sympathetic, and how the play deftly explores relationships (of all kinds) as well as race, mental health, and self-loathing.

Oh my gosh, this play is like a hilarious fever dream. It takes place on a debate stage that looks like a presidential primary debate, but it's actually a debate over what the title and plot of the third Mammia Mia movie should be. And Billy Joel features heavily. This play is pure fun and entertainment from start to finish - just like Mammia Mia.

Having just finished "B is for Bullsh!t," of COURSE I had to read the sequel! I love this one act Zoom play about the complications of relationships during a pandemic and the complications of weddings always. John Mabey's writing is both touching and humorous, with characters who feel like real people. I would love to see this performed!