Recommended by Franky D. Gonzalez

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.

The interpretations that exist for this play are numerous and each can cause as much unease as the other. Nelson Diaz-Marcano has made a parable and an enigma with these few pages. You can't help but read again, and then read again, and then again until you go for hours wondering what you read and why it unfolded the way it did. The stages of the creative process are laid bare, whether it's fans or a metaphor for our creative impulse against our bitter cynicism. It's an interesting premise and keeps you from beginning to end.

The heartbreak of leaving behind what you know, to say goodbye to the things that hold the most value to you and to go into the unknown sit at the heart of this piece that is less drama and more grief examined for the always wounded and always maligned Puerto Rico. Nelson Diaz-Marcano creates a laugh and a quiet reminder of the coming end of anything we held yesterday and leaving us with only the future. A bright one? ¿Quién sabe? But a future, nonetheless. A beautiful play. My only gripe: Chayanne is totally a superstar, not local!

You never know who you're talking to. You never know the full story. A short, yet poignant piece by Asher Wyndham that tells you so many things in so very few lines. Like Brecht giving us a portrait of Germany in his time with Fear and Misery in the Third Reich, or the Private Lives of the Master Race, Asher makes a portraits and gives insights into America at all ages and all backgrounds.

The professional teaches a masterclass to the unlearned "amateurs." A fun play with a message that really should be considered common sense, and yet common sense is rarely so common. Asher Wyndham makes a play for kids and adults to enjoy. Now, if you'll excuse me, I am going to do some pushups...to you know...pump myself up! Yeah!

A monologue, whose deceptive simplicity of language conveys a far deeper meaning beyond a child liking animals a whole bunch. It conveys truths without political pretensions or excuses. It boils down what has been overcomplicated into something quite plain. So many of us are in error and we need this plain statements and truths told to us from the voice of a child.

If the shoe fits, you'll hate this play. For the rest of us who have wondered about the state of avant-garde theatre, Scott Sickles is that child who finally--and necessarily--blurts out, "The Emperor has no clothes on!" It's everything you have heard about or seen with some of those pretentious "necessary" plays in all of its unnecessary glory. You will laugh and you will wonder, and for those whom the shoe still fits, maybe you'll take it all a little less seriously. A fun play lampooning the playwright's excesses. You'll want to see this one staged near you.