Recommended by Cindi Sansone-Braff

The universal struggle for all people, from the day they are born, has always been how to reconcile their human nature with their animal nature. A well-domesticated widower and a woman assigned to help him re-enter society grapple with this concept, leaving the audience to wonder what kind of animal might they be. Haunting, insightful, and thought-provoking, I highly recommend this short play.

As a married couple dress to go meet and impress the neighbors, a petty argument, with some really dark undertones, plays out. Funny, dark, ridiculous, and spot on, this play will make you cringe, as you witness a marriage disintegrating right before your eyes. If you want to learn how to master the art of riveting, economical dialogue, layered with subtext and nuances, read any and all of Jack Rushton’s plays.

A funny, poignant, short play about a married couple trying to find a new, exciting normal in 2021, after living through the COVID-19, heartbreaking year of 2020. Two likable, believable characters, an interesting locale, and fast-paced, well-written dialogue makes this play a winner! Bravo!

Fast-paced, gritty, and suspenseful, this play would have an audience holding their breath to the very end. Casting in terms of age and race is totally open, and it would make a great night of theater to see this play staged three times in a row with a teenage couple, a middle-aged couple, and a senior couple, and watch how the dynamics of this plot shifts. Dramatic and well-crafted this is a must-see!

A restaurant, too much wine, and two longtime close friends, open up about their sex lives, and a long ago clandestine love affair is revealed. This short play is a great vehicle for two women to have fun with because the dialogue is bold, provocative, well-paced, and hilarious. The audience will feel like they're one of the patrons in the restaurant being exposed to way-too-much information. I would love to see this one-act dramedy staged and watch the fireworks explode!

A wife is at the end of the rope as to how to deal with her suicidal husband, who is able to destroy her kitchen with his suicide attempts, but not himself. Heard but not seen, her husband moans off in the other room as she and his sister contemplate what to do with him. Funny, sad, dramatic, and ironic, with some of the best dialogue you’ll ever read anywhere, this short play, is stageworthy. Great parts for two strong women to display their talents. I give this ten-minute, dark comedy a standing ovation!

This dark comedy resonates with the sad truth that the bad news of the world, real or fake, can wreak havoc on our everyday life. The radio becomes a third character in the play, terrorizing George and irritating Elise, who is trying to get dinner on the table. Thought-provoking and timely, this two-character, short play will stay with an audience long after the curtain falls.

A funny, short play that tackles the world we live in, and the way a lot can get lost in translation via texting as a main source of communication. I laughed out loud at the skillful way the characters overstep boundaries, abuse each other, take advantage of each other, and manipulate all via text. I would love to see this play staged, either live or on Zoom. Bravo!

A memory play, poignant and profound, this ten-minute play packs quite an emotional punch. An older, married couple, struggle to stay connected, even though the husband is having more and more lapses in remembering even the simplest of things. As the play enfolds, you can’t help feeling that some memories are just too painful to bear, especially when they are intertwined with other happy ones. Life, love, and loss, this little play tackles some big themes.Bravo!

This short play, set in the moments after death, is as much a commentary on life as it is on death. Great roles for any two actors, simple to stage, with great dialogue, makes this a fabulous fit for any theater or theater festival.