Recommended by Maximillian Gill

The careful balancing of tone in this short piece immediately impressed me. It starts out light and sparkly, peppered with Moughon's signature wit. Yet things turn very real and horrific with the unexpected account by a victim of sexual assault, an experience taking place in a mythic time that reads all too much like a contemporary experience. It's a delicate balancing act, and the writer pulls it off expertly. The close is perfect, acknowledging the difficulty of finding meaning in sacrifices even when myth and legend would ennoble them. A compelling short play.

I'm so impressed by how many comic moments are worked into this simple premise. The cast of characters that our intrepid baking teacher has to deal with are all perfectly calibrated for maximum hilarity. Yet the piece doesn't shy away from the basic sadness at the protagonist's core as she gamely tries to make the best out of a difficult pandemic-imposed situation, something so many of us can relate to.

Wonderful writing, brisk dialogue, convincing restaurant-industry details, and a breezy wit really make this play sparkle, but ultimately its strength is in its handling of the familial relationships between these sharply individualized characters. The play takes on tough issues along with easier ones but never feels tonally unbalanced. Instead, McClain skillfully weaves a number of themes and conflicts into an artful tapestry.

A real comic gem! I'm really impressed by how effortlessly the tension mined from such a simple premise is maintained at a high level throughout the piece, and the physical actions make for wonderful low-key slapstick. I can imagine it being very funny on stage when performed with impeccable comic timing. At its heart it feels like a parable for human relationships, how the urge to share with another person is genuine and grounded but ultimately in conflict with how much we are willing to give away of ourselves. Very producible and accessible for a wide audience.

A warm play with some real bite. A scenario about two strangers meeting and negotiating their differences builds into a genuine moment of connection. I am particularly impressed by the representation of the deaf character, who is full and rounded and never cliched. The dialogue is so skillfully written that even if one does not understand ASL or the words are not otherwise presented on stage, the meaning of Leah's lines are still clear. Very nicely done, and I love the last line!

A lovely parable about acceptance and welcoming the most marginalized and desperate that resonates with the classic Christmas story but also offers a lesson for our times. It’s simple and straight-forward but gains strength through dialogue that contains layers of meaning and character.

One of the things that most impressed me about this intensely involving piece is how believable the writer is able to make the protagonist’s journey from complete self-centeredness to someone who is able to see outside himself and understand the complexities of an interconnected world. The path is never easy, and there were moments when I honestly didn’t know if Lester would make it there, but I bought it. Lester is both larger than life and true to life, and his monologues are both brutal and totally captivating.

A play that had me at the opening description. Malone gets so much drama out of the struggle of a man grooming his facial hair that I was instantly hooked. Little did I know how much this simple image would dominate this incredible play. Alby is a figure painted both broadly and intimately, a force of nature that we grow to love just as the other characters do. He is also a testament to the maxim that you can know nearly everything about a person but hardly know them. The writing is wonderful, poetic, and deeply evocative. A triumph.

This is a play that truly sits with you. I almost feel overwhelmed by how much love and compassion for all of earth's creatures comes through in this simple tale of a veterinarian and her devotion to her mission. There are moments that are absolutely heart-breaking, and yet there is so much humor and wit in here; Jonte balances everything with a skill that I find astonishing at times. The characters themselves, particularly Tessa and her plucky assistant Molly, are full of life, specific, and expertly rendered through the writer's always-assured feel for dialogue. Also, be prepared to cry.

A very compelling short by Martineau. The writer takes a simple scenario and makes it gripping at every moment with honest and affecting dialogue. I never thought a lollipop could bring up so many emotions. But just when you think you know where this piece is going, we suddenly see everything from a new perspective. Martineau approaches the twist with such control that it seems perfectly natural and organic. A fine gem of a piece.