Recommended by Aly Kantor

This play had me on page one! This ridiculous afterlife comedy relies on your willing suspension of disbelief, but once you're in, prepare for a character-driven ride full of physical comedy, farcical secrets, and existential questions. It's quick moving, has a strong character arc, and there's never a dull moment. I found it affecting and was surprised by how emotional I got as the play approached its climax! The set is simple, with a few fun challenges for keen designers. With that said, I hope it's 100% fictional - I'm not interested in an afterlife without my authentic cat!

Do you know how I know for sure this was a Daniel Prillaman play? Because my favorite character was a cat with pink eye named Shitters... among other compelling reasons!

This play is pure goofiness. Just when you think you have your bearings, some ridiculous complication comes out of leftfield and turns everything on its head. You will see yourself and your family in these characters, and you will be mad about it.

My favorite part, however, is how strange, primal, passionate love is the solution to the play's many oddball problems. It's hilarious, it's pure, it's absurd! Read it!

Love is the purest force in the world - but what happens when a well-meaning person loves us the wrong way? That's the central question in this tragic two-hander about a mother and daughter navigating life after a tragic accident. Structurally, Donnelly set up the reversal in a masterful, thoroughly devastating way, with a tiny detail coming back to land a massive emotional, relationship-ending punch. It's full of gorgeous monologues, with an engaging framing device that invites the audience into the protagonist's world. Sometimes love is just paying attention. Give yours to this lovely play.

After stumbling over one of these delightful shorts, I was so happy to see that the full collection of plays was together in one place! This anthology is a gift for classroom teachers, with funny, romantic, emotional, and compelling roles for student actors and directors—and, with all the history and landmarks scattered throughout, even fledgling dramaturgs! Each of these short plays is rich with atmospheric detail that transports the reader across the USA without the need for fancy sets. A few stand-out favorites for me were Idaho, Maryland, Michigan, and Washington, D.C. What a stupendous, ambitious collection!

Great minds think alike, even when those minds seem very different at the outset! This sweet love story about two specific yet familiar characters involves a surprising and hilarious reversal that will leave you grinning. I really appreciated all of the colorful environmental details that will surely transport audiences to the tulip festival, whether or not the piece is fully produced with sets and props.

Delusions are terrifying, and serving as the caretaker for an individual with a psychotic condition is a major responsibility. This short piece presents two characters in this unique relationship with grace before flipping the premise on its head and forcing the reader to question everything. The reversal is jarring but effective, forcing the audience to confront what it must have felt like to be in these characters' shoes! It's heartfelt and genuine, with room for humor and surprise, making it a fun ride for an engaged audience.

The strict, cult-like world of DeFrates' "Lost Children" Universe somehow manages to produce some colorful, wholly unique characters - all of whom struggle against the chains that bind them to their unconventional lifestyle, sometimes literally. This piece introduces us to two characters at the end of the line and, ostensibly, the end of their lives, exploring regrets and missed opportunities through a sad, hopeful roleplay scenario. It's a lovely meditation about the things we do when there's nothing left to do - the ways we continuously cycle through life, creating and finding meaning, even at the end of the world.

Dramaturgically, the way to tell a story about climate change is to shrink it. This is a tiny story about big issues, in which the stakes are intimate and personal - the "big issues" are LITERALLY the background noise to the profoundly human story of Marina, the most likely unlikely prophet. In the end, "Come Again" is a sharply funny, smart, and searingly ironic parable about the ways we twist the narrative to avoid discomfort—and a compelling argument for facing our fears for the greater good. It's a painful, hopeful, honest, and fast-moving piece that doesn't slow down.

As soon as I read the character descriptions, I knew I was in for a good time! There are so many fun details - from the unexpectedly young, feminine "St Peter" using phrases like "Oh god" and "Ah, bless!" to the onslaught of quick, witty banter that never quite lets up, to... the birds! And, just when you think you've reached the peak of comedy... you're... weeping!?? This play is a long but efficient trip through MANY emotions, with a structure that mimics the protagonist's own journey. It's a goofy, glorious, deeply-felt little play!

This character-driven comedy had me at the title and only got better from there! On the meta-level, it's a super engaging script: what is the "typical clown story?" Is this a subversion, or do we just think it is? On the technical and craft level, it's a downright hoot! The dialogue is consistently hilarious, with a few fantastic, laugh-out-loud zingers. It has great roles for an older actress and a young girl - in fact, there isn't a single small role in the play. Ultimately, it's filled with a surprising amount of pathos for a backstage comedy about clown yearning!