Recommended by Joe Swenson

Incredible play by the amazing Andrew Martineau. There is so much that I want to say without giving any of it away. The layers, mystery, and the craft of hiding his work in the dialogue kept me engaged and on the edge of my seat. Highly recommend this short piece!

You’re riding along in this great dialogue and you’re getting the sense that Mike is trying to make the situation special and then…. Well, I kept waiting for it. At the perfect moment Zoe Rose Jennings punches you in the face with what you were expecting. Brilliant, tension-filled, anxiety driven play. Awesome.

An incredibly creative, fast-paced show full of emotional and environmental tension. DC Cartho is a master at creating these scenes where the audience is a half-step behind the action, creating the illusion that what the audience is rooting for is going to happen, giving them a false sense of control. The touching ending between Polly and Ben, especially the both names part really hit me. Love, ultimately it’s about love!

Randy Hunt’s I Spy is a fantastic story with two layered and well-thought-out characters. The premise is so fun, the expectations though are more fun. This show will also make you crave Funyuns. Loved it!

From the moment the play starts until it’s unexpected ending I couldn’t put this play down. It will literally haunt me! Katherine Vondy’s ability to take a real story, a real unsolved mystery, and give it such depth is fascinating. Throughout this play Katherine’s dialogue and relationships accentuate the expectations of women in the 1940s. Absolutely incredible. 1 of my favorite NPX shows.

One of the most courageous written pieces I've ever read. I Can't Ride Trains Anymore is amazing, it's vulnerable, heartbreaking, and empowering. There is so much that I want to right, that gives away the subtilties and the in-your-face narrative about transition and ultimately trans-life, so I won't. I implore you, all of you to read this. Read August Forman's words, especially those (including myself) that are/were ignorant. You will walk away changed. This monologue has changed me for the better, forever. Thank you August.

There wasn't a moment in the entirety of this play that I wasn't smiling. Dana has built a splendid piece where purpose is escalated for at least this one time. What a fantastic concept, wonderful imagery, and an ending that you root for, for all of mankind, essentially. It's so good that I even imagined the carny that works this particular game after the show ends and the explanations that would come from that. Brilliant piece by a wonderful playwright. Kudos.

What an incredible piece of art. All of it. The incredible amount of work that Kenneth N. Kurtz put into this piece is awe-inspiring. Visually stunning, it doesn't take much imagination to understand the artistry that is taking place. The rhythm of the piece and all of the exceptional secondary characters add so much to this stunning work. This work of art deserves a stage. Breathtaking.

What a trip. It starts weird, gets weirder, and then just when you think it's over, it gets weird again. Jim has done an incredible job of creating four very well-defined characters. But, because of the smack-talk (cattiness) of the two attorneys, you find yourself not only rooting for Mary to find her missing thing, but also Cody's. Then Jim throws in a fantastic monologue for Mary where the audience once again feels guilty for rooting for Cody and Mary and even drops hints to an alternate ambiguous ending. This is an excellent show, with great tension. Kudos.

The wonderful chemistry in dialogue between the Stillwell sisters makes this play a highlight for all that read or listen to the show. A twisty whodunit that uses a bit of slight-of-hand, to reach its unpredictable conclusions brings about the fun and the energy. The visuals painted by Vivian are fantastic and true to style, Lermond delivers throughout. Fantastic work!