Recommended by John Mabey

The pacing and slow reveals that build throughout RETURN TO MOTHER'S NEST make this play deeply engaging and thrilling. Samantha Marchant uses dialogue with a sharpness that truly cuts deep between mother and daughter. There's an amazing sense of urgency and dread in this play, building toward an ending that would be amazing to watch and hear on stage with both voice and sound effects. A thriller indeed!

Big themes of creation and the afterlife are explored here with tender moments of revelation. in TIMES OUT/TIME TO BEGIN AGAIN, John Medlin presents two mysterious characters and, with each line, they become less a mystery to each other and themselves. It's an expansive and fantastical setting that would be a wonderful playground for set designers, too.

Celestial figures can be explored in many ways, but my favorite is when they're confronted in dynamic and unexpected ways. In GLORY OBSCURED by Maximillian Gill, these two fantastical characters are incredibly relatable and layered. I was drawn-in immediately by the setting and tone, and the metaphorical dialogue throughout kept me guessing and hoping that it wouldn't end. A superb standalone piece or scene that could launch a longer play, too.

There is something timeless with plays about people struggling to find a connection. In this case it's during a pandemic, but the dialogue between these characters is so relatable beyond a moment in history. In TO THE ZOOM AND BACK, Cindi Sansone-Braff has such insight and empathy for these different characters and finds the threads that both brings them together as well as bringing the audience inside their world.

There's so much poignant emotion and beautiful story revealed in this 10-minute play that it feels like I've been treated to a much longer piece. In A TOAST by Debra Cole, the aftermath of death and loss is explored through what happens afterward, and the mix of questions that accompany the ways in which we move on or don't. This play is a gift to actors and directors for moments to unpack and explore.

The combination of horror and comedy requires a skillful hand, and Evan Baughfman certainly delivers in THE NOT-SO-HAUNTED AUDITORIUM. This is a piece that's written for teens but would be enjoyed by audiences of all ages. As the play progresses, the nefarious tension rises and makes it great spooky fun. I can also see high schools really enjoying this play on stage with the chance to make some lines site-specific, too.

I'm a big fan of works that pay homage to noir and mystery, and in THE BIG NAP we meet two characters with that easy short-hand of longing and big dreams. Charles Scott Jones writes them with a skillful undercurrent of both desperation and hope (aptly naming the characters in that regard, too). This is a strong scene that could also be part of a larger work as so much detail has gone into the characters and the expansive world.

A skilled playwright knows how to explore the action in a thriller where what we see in our own minds is just as horrifying. And in Y & Z, Christopher Plumridge has crafted a tense exchange between two characters where what we hear and what we imagine is absolutely terrifying. The sharp and precise dialogue cuts at the perfect moments for this thriller with an ending that makes you question everything that came before.

In NEVER AGAIN by Donna Hoke, the world of 'The Lottery' opens up even more about the values we hold dear, scapegoating, and a mob mentality. As a fan of the original short story, I was so engrossed in the world that Hoke created in this play, meeting the author and those in her publishing circle. Facing the same issues that also resonate in the short story, NEVER AGAIN navigates the connected themes with both subtlety and a sharp focus. This play is a great companion piece to the short story and wonderful art on its own.

I always know with a play by Vince Gatton that I'll meet great characters and discover so much emotional truth, surprising me in the best ways. In SHE'S BLOWN AWAY, I was immediately engaged by the realistic dialogue and distinctive personalities of these teen characters. And in just 10 minutes there were layers of additional meaning about gender and boundaries that completely immersed me in this world. This is a work with powerful subtle moments that performers and directors will love to interpret and explore.