Recommended by Sam Heyman

Less Mamet (Rule), More Richter! A hilarious and succinct send up of tired “rules” of writing.

The ideology of racism laid bare, and done so with brevity and cutting humor by Ruben Carbajal - Whichever side of this conversation you've been on, this one is worth a read.

This is a powerful play from Paul Donnelly. The relationship between these sisters is so rich and nuanced, and the precarious emotional situation they find themselves in is well developed and painful. The ending articulates the hypervigilance of abuse victims in a poignant way that lingers as we are left with one final image and the lights fade.

A taboo relationship rendered sweet with Sickles' trademark dose of heart - POPCORN is a blend of flavors that go marvelously together, if surprisingly so. With a healthy dose of adolescent spice and a drizzle of double-entendre on top, this short play demonstrates this playwright's ability to capture humanity within the hormonal and horny.

A Picture Of Two Boys is a beautiful, heartrending portrait of friendship, adolescent pain and the way life pushes people together and pulls them apart. Malakhow’s characters feel organic and specific, their relationship both archetypal and nuanced, and the play itself lands emotional punches that sting. I love the contrast between Markey and Pete and their older counterparts and the way the script helps you understand how each boy grew into the man they became. Excellent play, not to be missed.

It can be difficult to reckon with the untold truths of one's childhood, and Jaxson Mackling's protagonist in Five has quite the bomb dropped on him on his twentieth birthday. There is an intimacy to the dialogue in this play, between an autistic son and his presumed neurotypical father, and also a harshness that is fitting given the subject matter. This is a short play that packs a punch.

Writing a sequel that recontextualizes the original tale is no small feat - Rachel Feeny-Williams has woven a new, classic take on the well-known story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears, and has done so with innovation, humor and heart. BEAR WITH ME is a tale of finding friendship on the other side of prejudice and mending hurt from the past. It is a lovely short play. Excellent work!

I love how this play is composed in split scene, with each bride grappling with how their anticipation of each other’s expectations has caught them in a bind. There’s great humor and heart to Hilary Bluestein-Lyons’ take on these classic, albeit grown up Peanuts characters - “Marcie and Patty Are Getting Married” is a delight!

What an honor to get a chance to read someone else’s take on your characters, and what a feat for that someone to take you by surprise with poignancy, humor and meaning. Thank you, Hilary Bluestein-Lyons for treating Mo and Clancy with such care, picking up with them after years spent apart (at least from one perspective.). This is a gift I will cherish for a long time.

What gives Playing On The Periphery its inimitable quality is Scott Sickles' ability to capture the specificity, delicacy and bonafide weirdness of being a kid, not to mention a queer one. Each character in this anthology of monologues and short plays moves beyond their type and is given a chance to tell their own story in their own words. This is a gift to audiences and especially young actors everywhere. I strongly encourage that you spend some time in this world, as soon and as often as possible.