Recommended by Franky D. Gonzalez

Matthew Weaver has that unique gift of creating the circumstances that high school and early college aged males would love to find themselves in. Wish fulfillment and comedy in one. Weaver knows how to capture awkward male longing and creates first kiss scenarios that men could only dream of. He captures the male psyche as it comes into maturity and adulthood.

It's that kind of play that leaves you wondering just what kind of people the poor groom has around him. Matthew Weaver is an explorer of scenarios involving the most interesting of characters. Unlike his usual fare of awkward young guys at the cusp of manhood, we have two people in Sammy and Kay that in an act of self-preservation seal their individual secrets with a third that they'll take with them to the grave. Weaver has a talent in capturing slice-of-life moments that you want to see expanded into a longer work.

A reversal of roles that is both instructional, humorous, and dramatic. Weaver plays on what is the usually tired vampire myth and turns it into a comedy about books, toxic masculinity, and self-defense. You'll absolutely enjoy Elizabeth's snappy retorts and insistence upon reading her book in peace and laugh at the foolish Count Orsino. The meta-theatrical twist at the end makes the play all the more unique. Really a fun play for audiences to enjoy and for actors/directors to have fun with!

S.P. Monahan inverts a narrative that seems so familiar in ways that are unexpected and absolutely delightful. It's heartwarming but not precious. This is a meeting of worldviews that you thought would never meet but rests at the heart of so many conversations about evolving relationship dynamics and new idea(l)s meeting the definitions that were created and hard-fought for years earlier. It's a play that tackles genuinely complex issues but does not lose any humanity, heart, or humor. The play moves naturally and beautifully without the characters falling into stereotype or parody, with real and beautiful dialogue.

A play that is a reminder to all of us. A reminder that the ideas that are taking hold in corners of our society and bleeding toward the middle of the mainstream. Bleeding, we must not forget, on the lives of innocent children. Carnes creates a human reflection of the moments after the tragedy, and the hurt that will remain forever. No need to discuss the person, the weapons, or engage in the politicizing, only a call to face the sun and remember.

The love of a mother that spans through the entirety of life. A beautiful tribute to motherhood and how it evolves, yet never really changes. Carnes creates beauty in the cacophony of memories flooding through the wonderful and limitless Ellen. A wonderful play that can be interpreted in so many ways and mean so many things at once. Carnes creates a piece that is an absolute feast for a director to sink their teeth into and get lost within. Check out this lovely play and read it again to take it all in. It's worth the investment.

There is a deep hope that runs through this monologue that it cuts through the cynicism creeping into our mainstream consciousness. There is always a beautiful tomorrow and there are things to feel optimistic about. Sometimes it takes sacrifice or discomfort to make sure that those who come after have attained what perhaps we never will, but that's a sacrifice worth making and a discomfort worth feeling. There are just some battles worth taking, and Carnes' Protester takes her stand. Proudly, and rightly, so.

There is so much going on in this economical piece about gun violence, mental health, and a broken community becoming sort of commentators on issues that are outgrowths of national problems. Carnes lets us listen to people's commentary as a 911 call unfolds and tragedy sits on the horizon. There is a terribly striking quality about what Carnes brings into play here. The play, like a stenographer's notes lays out the words and leaves it to us to interpret what it was we bore witness to in the last five minutes, perhaps even what we've witnessed our entire history.

A play between three people where nothing, NOTHING, is as it seems. We cut right into the heart of some of the biggest issues facing America on the eve of what would become one of the most consequential nights in American history. You are going to get way more than you bargained for with this play. Nelson Diaz-Marcano is a playwright who listens and lets his characters speak. I've insulted Nelson, these aren't paltry characters. These are three dimensional living human beings who expose us, our flaws, our hypocrisy, and yes our shared humanity despite our many differences. READ NOW!

A stand-off between four people, none of whom have any claim to being considered "good" in the traditional sense. It's a hallmark of Nelson Diaz-Marcano's oeuvre to see nobody fit those labels of good and bad perfectly. In this hilarious short holiday piece, Diaz-Marcano we enjoy the coming together of the desperate, the fanatical, the kindly (but not really), and confused. Special guest appearance from Chekhov's gun and the Target company. It's hard to describe without ruining the script. It deserves a read and inclusion in holiday festivals.