Recommended by John Mabey

There is so much to love in the play, AHAVAH. Co-authors Dana Hall and David Lipschutz take us on a comedic and poignant journey of love and faith beyond the grave. And along the way, we're introduced to characters who wrestle with their own grief to a place of renewed understanding and connection. Well done!

There is so much to love in the play, AHAVAH. Co-authors Dana Hall and David Lipschutz take us on a comedic and poignant journey of love and faith beyond the grave. And along the way, we're introduced to characters who wrestle with their own grief to a place of renewed understanding and connection. Well done!

The structure of this play is thrilling and the dialogue so poetic. In EXPECTATIONS, Jennifer O'Grady reveals the underexplored and fascinating relationship of Charles Dickens and his wife Kate Dickens. Poignant, gripping, and so moving, this is a play that will stay with you long after their story ends.

A wonderful blend of history and fantasy, JOY RIDE by Arianna Rose takes us on an amazing ride in the clouds with Amelia Earhart and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt - with a special twist. And as they reenact those events, both women make important discoveries about the flight and themselves.

Steven Strafford writes with incredible humor and expert pacing in SMALL JOKES ABOUT MONSTERS. The four characters are all distinct and fully realized in their complexity with revelations that spin each of them in unexpected directions throughout. And the story itself is thrilling from start to finish as Strafford guides us through high comedy and dark, poignant truths with insight and confidence. This is a beautifully complex and highly entertaining play that would also be a delight for actors and a production team.

James McLindon explores a world of timely and urgent issues in PICKERS. I had the pleasure of watching a reading of this play and was captivated from the opening lines. The two characters are layered and complex, both with clear goals and motivations toward survival and change in a tough industry. Especially powerful are how their generational differences lead toward a shared understanding while also highlighting and respecting the disparities. This is a powerful play that's both enlightening as well as entertaining throughout.

I worked in academia for many years and there's a culture of support for students as well as a results-driven approach for managing as many as possible in already overcrowded classrooms. And as professors struggle with a balance between their own research and teaching, priorities often collide. In BLINDED, we meet a new adjunct faculty more than twice the age of the student tech there to assist. Ross Tedford Kendall writes these characters with insight and depth, providing room for surprises and growth. And with an ending that propels the story forward, shifting priorities toward goals far more important.

G'Oy Vey! by David Lipschutz is a zoom play you won't want to end. There's a cast of 7 who expertly enter and exit at the perfect moments while keeping the energy high and the laughs strong. David takes the premise of a couple on their first date to new heights and uses the zoom setting as such a strength within the story. A fabulous one-act with so many developed characters who could spin-off into a new world of plays as well.

I enjoy reading stories about the afterlife and HEAVEN FORBID by Jake Lewis is one of my favorites. The writing is crisp and funny with the underlying themes incredibly heartfelt and poignant. The ideas explored are captivating, too, about the nature of heaven and what happens when two people are connected in life but one wants a change in the ever after. The options for staging are exciting as well with dynamic uses of props and sound. Well done!

Jonathan Cook crafts such a magical, touching, and thrilling tale in MEMENTO MORI. A photographer with a hidden talent gets the biggest surprise as he reanimates a deceased girl with a secret of her own. Cook navigates masterfully between the more joyful moments into the tragic and back again, all within a short piece. The pacing is perfect and with an ending that will leave you satisfied but thinking about the characters long after. It's clear why this play has received so many productions and awards as well.