Recommended by Alice Josephs

A short duologue for 20-something actors who can show a range from tough savvy to vulnerable. The writer shows a gift for penning a sophisticated soap-type scenario giving a sweet twist to the morning-after-the-night-before trope, keeping it real but sliding in romance seamlessly, using fairy tale elements to bind a familiar girl meets boy, girl & boy argue but finally bond (here, over a hangover cure) with a touching revelation changing the dynamics & leading to a plausible ‘happy ever after’.

A tragedy in 12 pages with two characters & a situation marking the mind of reader & audience member indelibly. Simple to stage yet written with a searing, shuddering depth of justified rage & sorrow, this is a heartbreaker, cutting deep. The helpless, unseen patient doubly a victim of HIV/AIDS & an inflexible regime putting the rights of an uncomprehending family above the love & understanding of a partner. We cling to every precise word & action, willing resolution, in the unequal battle between gatekeeper & agonised lover denied the chance to bring peace to a ravaged soul. Outstanding.

A neat little short for five actors which lures us in as a play about acceptance of gay relationships, then twists into a theme of job snobbery and the service industry vs professionals. Carefully paced, this’ll give food for thought and draw lots of rueful smiles from an audience by the time of its feelgood finale.

Splash into this Roald Dahl-ish tale of the unexpected short! As delicious as a juicy mango, this four hander would be a delight for director & crew to stage in the 21st equivalent of the suburbia in Burt Lancaster’s The Swimmer. At first seemingly about the entitled Airbnb generation & riffing on possible real life hoaxes, this twists and turns & sizzles in swimming pool sunshine with a dash of sexual tension thrown in until the final deep dive.

Even when trapped within a set-in-stone Greek myth, two pawns of the canon of literature & the residents of Mount Olympus nevertheless manage to exact some human agency. Even if it is simply to mistake one Ajax for another (two Ajaxes, who knew?) & delight with childish clamour, then sulk, over a performative exchange of gifts. A fun, easily staged comic introduction to The Illiad where male egos, under the control of a goddess, still find their way out into the open in the midst of battlefield bloodshed.

Born free but now imprisoned in a Florida aquarium, two walruses perform for mobile-phone-camera-wielding seniors. One, defiant, dreams of freedom & plans her escape while her more docile pool mate obediently goes through the motions on the instructions of their trainer. A characterful three hander with the poignancy of Boxer’s end in Animal Farm in its denouement.

Everyone should have a sporting chance but when the odds are loaded against a wandering human by at least two to one, it’s a harsh world as arbitrary as scattered popcorn at a baseball game. An intriguing, brave three hander which delves into our pitilessly jealous baser & basic instincts as the world & its weather collapses in on itself.

Protests, political activism, that’s not for him. But this man’s heart, yep, it’s through his stomach - ripe or unripe, that sweet & savoury, staple of Italian cuisine - juicy & delicious - the tomato. But faced with the only one left in the world - it’s not his, in fact its valuable seeds belong to humankind, this ordinary guy turns to tastebud criminality leaving the rest of us bereft. A tasty monologue for a male actor which would make a delectably flavourful short film challenging director, actor & cameraman to convey the lip smacking slice & dice culinary experience.

An adult play for male and female veteran actors, quietly humorous & subversive. Two seniors discuss their future after a night of passion, possibly aided by a little blue pill. Characterful and humane, this little play tackles a big but little discussed subject, through a couple, in a frank exchange, possibly embarking on a new phase of life.

A delicate adaptation of an O’Henry short story mixing sexual & land politics in cattle ranch country. Definitely a candidate for a short film but could also provide a stage canvas for the right director & an interesting challenge for sound & lighting reflecting the landscape of a torrid marriage kept going by a man‘s bid for independence, a transaction bringing equality with humans producing their own calf as the final act of grace in a very American kingdom. A play with plenty of masculinity subtext to test a male actor and a female role on its own journey.