Recommended by Aly Kantor

I've often said that the REAL tragedy of Medea is that all the cool stuff happens long before the events in the play. Clearly, Jarred agreed, as he has spun an eerie, true-to-life adaptation that allows the past to take center stage. I'd describe this spooky romp as "Medea, in a southern gothic style, reminiscent of Macbeth and The Crucible, but set in the House of Atreus." It's next-level imaginative but remains true to the spirit of the source text from beginning to end. This is a language-rich, uncanny dream for designers to tackle. Awesome!

Don't be fooled by the setup. I can assure you that this sweet, tender, atmospheric play isn't going where you (or the protagonist herself) think it will go! This piece is driven by music and conversation and fuelled by a touch of magic that any lighting designer would delight in manifesting. A sweet and surprising story about love and grief.

I'm a firm believer that magic exists in the places it's most needed. In Hannah's dark but whimsical play, it's found in a dim, abandoned stairwell, where a group of dynamic childhood friends meets for all manner of intricate rituals. As the friends grow to fill the narrow space, the world beyond the stairwell grows with them until the audience is left with a sinister, second-hand understanding of the cult-like world that made their sanctuary a necessity. The real magic in this piece is in relationships, however. After everything else, this tender play always comes back to love. Highly recommend.

There are two things I love without reservation: ghost stories on stage and plays by Vince Gatton. The chilling atmosphere of this domestic thriller had me thoroughly creeped out by page three—in a good way. I love the way this play utilizes storytelling, both direct-address and within scenes, to help the audience put the pieces together. Though all the clues were there, the reversal felt like a magic trick. I also loved the moment the framing device came full circle. Ultimately, this is a strong, emotion-packed script about the power of our darkest stories, for better or for worse.

This play is almost absurdly prescient - and, luckily for readers and audiences, it's also incredibly smart. As a neohumanist jew, I love to see stories about "jews at the end of the world," and this well-drawn sci-fi universe (cleverly inspired by one of the world's most prevalent conspiracy theories) hits the spot. Two quick, witty characters face high stakes which only grow when the playwright turns their life-or-death conundrum back to the audience. It's fast-moving, deep, and consistently funny. Plus, I'm jealous of the lucky sound and lighting designers who get to work on this play!

I had a wonderful time directing Maryanne Cartier's laugh-out-loud comedy "Personal Demons" as part of the Long Beach Short Play Festival - and the whole creative time had a blast creating the world of this kooky play! No one enjoyed it more than the audience, who couldn't catch their breaths between laughs! This clever piece lures you into a false sense of familiarity until the wicked twist kicks things off, and it's a thoroughly wild ride from there, full of flying props, full-body convulsions, and heartfelt memories (of church arson, but still). Good, evil, hilarious fun!

I had the pleasure of directing AJ Maryn's hilarious monologue "Hand Legs" as part of the Long Beach Short Play Festival. Audiences universally agreed that this charming, quirky piece was a brilliant way to kick things off! Maryn has crafted a neurotic, relatable, and specific character in Amelie, but the magic in this piece comes from the soft, sweet reversal following the manic chaos. It was genuinely such a hilarious, unique work, and we had an incredible time digging in and putting it on its feet! I wish you many more productions!

This sharp, efficient play dramatizes the abortion debate to bring post-Roe hypocrisy to life, and it doesn't hold back. What will this aggressively "pro-life" family do when they find themselves in a situation in which they must dedicate time, money, and resources to children they aren't willing or prepared to raise? Though the piece gets a bit dark, it was fun to watch these characters come to the realization that pregnant people should always have a choice. A tight, high-stakes piece of short theatre!

If this fairytale subversion is this laugh-out-loud funny on the page, I can't imagine what a treat it would be on the stage! It's ripe with possibilities for creative theatrical choices, from over-the-top quick changes to on-stage magic! Even so, the real magic is in the timing - it would be a genuine treat for an older comedic actress! Between the laughs are some intelligent, salient critiques of the source material. The moral of THIS story? Question the morals of others!

This is a beautiful little play about the loneliness of artmaking, whatever the medium, and the ways that humans are both essential and detrimental to the process. The setup (two characters in separate spaces) provides an instant sense of theatricality, with characters always a glance away from connection. The final moments are a lovely, well-earned ribbon on top of a sweet, carefully constructed piece. Artists of all types (it's a theatre piece about a visual artist and a writer featuring a music metaphor!) will be able to relate to these characters - now more than ever!