Recommended by Franky D. Gonzalez

There is a calm that sweeps through this play, that I must confess made me feel a welling of emotion. Were all of life with its constant hurt and persistent pain to become the scenario presented in Matthew Weaver's UTOPIA FOUND, I think I would be alright with it all. The humor and wit that one grows to expect from a Matthew Weaver play is still here. But there's more, so much more than you bargained for in this heartwarming short play. If I could choose how it all goes, it wouldn't be much farther from Weaver's beautiful vision.

You read this with a goofy grin on your face as you watch two perfectly behaved dogs doing what dogs do. Without giving it away, this play is a fun comedy that will leave you wondering about dogs, their topics of conversation and the people they live with. Check it out! It's brief but you'll get a laugh or two out.

In one minute we get an examination of race relations in America, a commentary on the racial bias and fear of white women against black men (as evidenced from the constant calls to police), and then we get a really good laugh. Nelson Diaz-Marcano's gift for distilling an issue to a few lines that are both disquieting, poignant, and genuinely funny. A quick read with the weight of so much history.

There are pieces of magic that come along and make you smile and tear up at the same time. In less than ten pages Lindsay Partain has created not just a good play. She has created a jewel that stands as a moving tribute to Love and its rewards when given without expectation and with thought only to others. Take some time and read this beautifully constructed piece, then produce it to try to make this dream world come to life.

A play about inept ghost hunters trying to find a little known ghost at a State Park. It goes as hilariously as you would expect and has great jabs at modern culture and turns of phrase that lampoon the selfie society that's emerged in recent years. A funny Halloween comedy with lots and lots of great places for performers to shine with their comedic chops.

There is a deep and ludicrous amount of absurdity in this play that one cannot help but believe that this indeed is the abridged version of how the legendary novel was written. Pfeffinger creates a stream-of-consciousness piece of hilarity that pokes fun at just about everything from the literati to the constant romanticizing of Victorian England. This is one of those plays where repeated readings will yield more and more humor and laughs. This is one of those plays where one can get a group of friends to read it aloud to have a good time during the holiday season.

Heh...heheh...hahahaha...ha...HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!

A metaphysical romp through the eternal pain of a character--actor?--trapped in a work by a playwright in his pajamas at a "bachelor pad." Being fair to Weaver, there are certainly far worse places for an actor to end up than trapped in a monologue by Matthew Weaver. Played correctly and with some sincerity this short piece (having anywhere between 2 and 20 in the cast!) is witty and treats the often difficult "metatheatrical" form with an effortlessness that belies the complexity of creating this kind of work. Read this. You'll love this mini-dynamo of a play.

A play with a situation familiar to artists everywhere. A story with layers and emotions as complex as any classical work. Philip Middleton Williams takes the scenario of "trouble in paradise" to new heights in this equal parts dramatic and comedic mystery that keeps you reading from end to end of the script. The setting may be idyllic Florida, and the characters may be hilarious (especially Bobby who matches wits with Donny in some of the most witty dialogue exchanges you'll find on NPX) but make no mistake the stakes are high and the questions demand reflection and quiet thought.

Stunning. You feel so much light radiating even from the darkest moments of this coming-of-age story that dares to frame the pre-teen years in all its awkward, funny, disturbing, and tragic glory. A play asking immense questions through the lens of a child who wants answers. You will see yourself in the narrative, you will see loved ones, and you'll see your own insecurities from childhood--present even now, in some respects--presented before you. This is a play whose humanity demands you watch and never stop watching on this search for answers in the woods. Cannot recommend enough. Read this!

You start reading and the play takes off. There is no role in here among the four women that is the lesser of the other. Stacey Rose creates characters that move you, baffle you, empathize, smile and hurt with them. Rose's use of ritual and space and the use of the scene's elements to set the mood of the scene...you could go on about the many wonderful layers in this piece. You would think that a play this substantial with so much emotional depth would be longer, but Rose economizes words and maximizes impact in this remarkable, stunning play.