Recommended by Jack Levine

BRUCE KARP has written a touching play of love, regret, hope, pain, redemption, and sorrow in a heartfelt story of a gay man. THE PORTRAIT is a memory as well as a memorial of a life of a good person, who lived, dreamt, and stayEd true to their identity. This play will move the audience and needs to be read and performed.

DAN TAUBE’s play, “Death of an Actor”, is powerful. The characters are well-developed and bring on strong emotions. Alcohol and drug addiction are horrible. The struggle to refrain from, and kick, the habit is a hard road. Family and friends may try desperately to help, but there are limits to what they can do. This is a play which needs to be read and seen performed. The ending is sad, but there are important messages: affect on spouse and children, friends, and the public when a star actor is involved.

KERR LOCKHART has written a ‘political play’ about the inner strength of people living in a small town. Change can be difficult. Government intervention can be intrusive. A tempting offer can seem too good to be true. You will be captivated by great characters, a fun and interesting plot, and the twists and turns in this wonderful play. “Don’t Vote For Me” is a play to be read and seen on stage. I really enjoyed it.

JULIE ZAFFARANO’s play, “Destiny is a Careless Waiter”, is a fun play. I thoroughly enjoyed the banter between the characters over an engagement ring, which ended up being served to the wrong couple. The ending is not what you would expect but was most satisfying. I want to see this play performed.

DAVID BEARDSLEY’s play, “Black Santa”, handles the issues of race, prejudice, white privilege with a simple issue of: Who should play Santa? The question is not the person but their skin color. We all think of ourselves as unbiased. If only it were true. I really enjoyed this play. It should be included in a holiday play festival and any other time of the year. I would love to see this play performed and watched by high school students.

PHILIP MIDDLETON WILLIAMS has written a marvelous play of friendship, love, fidelity to our true self, coming out and knowing whom you are, parental love, prejudice, and much more. The plot is powerful and the characters are so real. I truly enjoyed reading this play. I strongly recommend ‘The Sugar Ridge Rag’. BRAVO!

IMANI VAUGHN-JONES takes us into the realm of sci-fi and offers a different vision of the relationship of the God we love and the Devil we fear. The play challenges our preconceptions and offers a different viewpoint of what we normally think. ‘Newer Testaments” is a fascinating play.

JOHN BAVOSO’s short play “Happy Hour” captures the heartbreak some women experience with sexual assault but are unable to report it. A casual meeting at a bar brings out the pain associated with such a terrible experience. Both women have a common link in more ways than you might think.

SCOTT SICKLES has written a witty one-minute comedy play, “Likeminded Thoughts on the Nature of Permanence”. Some can enter marriage with no doubts, second thoughts, or - isn’t there someone else who would make a better partner? This play is only a minute, but so much is revealed. I want to see this play on stage!

GENE KATO has written a gripping sci-fi, which will keep you totally immersed in a fascinating tale. A family and a lone young man meet on a scorched earth and have only one bottle of water. You will be immersed in the high drama throughout the play, which has a twist at the end.