Recommended by Aly Kantor

What I love most about this monologue is that it rewards a close reader - if you're paying attention, you'll notice the slightly archaic, atypically erudite diction, the way Nathaniel speaks about the passage of time, the subtle obfuscation of the core details... and all of it means you'll be thrilled if you get the twist, and shocked and delighted if you don't! The reversal is fantastic, making you question your biases and morals no matter where you stand. Clever, specific, and spooky!

A tiny, heartbreaking play that invites you to intuit the subtext. I really appreciated the clear child logic here - the way you could hear the little boy's gears turning, worrying about the ease of mental math when the scope of the trouble facing him is clearly so much larger than that. It lent this little scene an air of authenticity that made it extra chilling, because we acutely feel that this thing is happening to a human.

I think this short play was designed in a lab to appeal to me specifically. Even as I was reading, I could imagine an underscore - I'm desperate to hear the songs of the planets live on stage! I just love the way time moves in this play. It's an intimate story and, somehow, the direct address makes it feel even more intimate... and the moment when these two finally share space is so magical, even though it's so simple. So much potential for theatrical magic with no need for a major budget!

Silly! Ridiculous! Adorable! I can't think of a worse time for a love confession, and yet I was rooting for these two! The ticking clock kept things tense, raising the stakes while it boosted the comedy. The silly names (and the SONNET, oh my GOD!) were just the delicious, criminal icing on this hilarious cake of a play. This one absolutely made me smile!

Oh, if this isn't every woman's deepest fear - the fear that the voice at the back of your head isn't irrational anxiety, but the voice of a careful observer and pattern-detector making connections. I love that in this play, a woman in an abusive situation is given the time and space to reckon with what she knows is true, leading to a satisfying (and surprisingly funny) conclusion. It's not the story of the abuse, but the story of the reckoning, giving Bella the agency she deserves! Fantastic!

Oh, this is good, horrific fun! This play brilliantly stays in the moment, feeling tense and urgent throughout, even as it rehashes traumatic events from the past. It's maybe because the play feels so very grounded and specific that the phenomenal twist provided that fantastic surprising-but-inevitable punch that I absolutely adore in a short play! I love how a few tiny, strange details became the key to the whole reveal - it's such smart writing! I am taking notes! Thanks for the masterclass!

This kooky holiday play, set at the last place you want to be during the Christmas season, is delightfully disorienting, but leads you to an introspective and, ultimately, wholesome place. It reminds us that you can choose to change at any time...or not...and you may have, in fact, already done more changing than you realized since last taking stock! And there's no better way to deliver that message than through a truly eccentric holiday play with NO holiday tropes at all! Weird and wonderful!

We're in an age of nostalgia, for better or worse - capitalism dictates that it's easier to rehash what sells rather than create something new. This play tackles that present phenomenon head-on, as two long-time collaborators argue over whether their album should glorify the past or embrace an uncertain future. I love how rich and specific the characters felt, offering us just enough detail to imagine their lengthy music career and all the good and bad that came with it. Succinct and satisfying!

You don't know what you've got til it's gone - and that's illustrated in this dynamic short about the value we place on the people in our lives... and our tolerance for their "stuff." I love the clever, quite seamless reversal, in which the trash decides to take itself out! There are so many twists in this play that I'm sure actors will have a blast recalibrating on the fly, helping audiences to really feel every reveal as its happening!

At the museum where I used to work, one of my favorite exhibits was the one showcasing treasures found among the detritus in the filled in land that became New York City. This play felt like one of the stories I might have told myself while studying pieces in the collection. I love the way human beings spring from earrings and buttons in this play, reminding us that "trash" always had another life. The atmosphere of this play is eerie and magical. This is a treat for lovers of history!