Recommended by Sam Heyman

The concept of a husband and wife power theatre duo reading this play together… I had the distinct honor of presenting Dirty Harry and Virgin Sally on Zoom as part of the first Playwrights Thriving Facing February reading event and was floored by Braverman’s clever take on condor mating rituals and ripped from the headlines wonder. Or should I say… wond-or? Forgive the pun, this play is great.

In Georgia Xanthopoulou’s Monstrogenesis, a monster speaks truth to power - and does so with chilling, compelling rhetoric. Xanthopoulou’s take on the Minotaur is unlike any I’ve had the pleasure of seeing or reading. This monologue is a fantastic gift for actors and audiences alike!

Va-Va-Vicarious is a surprising, charming, and hilarious comedy from Kim Ruyle. I loved seeing actors at the 2025 Midwest Dramatists Conference bring this play to life, and I know audiences all over will love it too. Excellent!

This play caught my eye because it seemed to be in conversation with a micro play of mine -- dear NPX reader, Rich Espey's I Saw This In Paducah! blows my play (and ten minute play festivals) out of the water! Such a fantastic skewering of the ten minute play ecosystem, as well as the proverbial viewing audience they are presumably trying to cater to. I Saw This In Paducah! offers up a mirror and a window to play fest producers and attendees, and I loved every minute of it.

I love how this monologue from master monologist Asher Wyndham fully realizes its character’s world. This is a hard hitting and striking piece that speaks to experiences shared (unfortunately) by many. Wilma With The Weather is a mic dropper for any actor!

"This setup smells like Lennon"

Sarah Jae Leiber knows her way around the funny, sad, and complicated emotions of fandom, young womanhood, and being a person who feels deeper than most. "baby, it's you" is an episodic masterclass of both Beatles parody and docu-drama, placing us in the shoes of a quartet of variably devoted Beatles fans and walking us briskly through their lives. Character voices leap off the page. Leiber nails the uncanny silliness of the Beatles as well as those who love them.

Grief can bring people together, and it can crumble the foundations of a person's being. DC Cathro is a master at getting at the humanity of his characters with deft efficiency, and "Re-Gifted" is no exception to this. This is a moving, tragic drama that would be unforgettable on stage.

The chilling nature of David Hilder's play sneaks up on you like it sneaks up on its protagonist, until all at once it overwhelms you and leaves you with your blood running cold. "An Awkward Conversation on the Way to the Ice Dispenser" is a compact, scary short.

You've never seen Tom and Jerry like this! In all seriousness, this is a hilarious and clever play. As the conceit of "This Is Not the Cotswolds and You're Not Cameron Diaz" reveals itself, readers and audiences alike will delight in what Philip Middleton Williams has pulled off. Nicely done!

The holidays, for as much as we want them to be apolitical and comforting, can be a minefield for many families, especially in a post-2016 world. Peter Fenton understands this, and devises an effective comic drama on the topic in "The Wild Turducken." I love the humor, but also the heart that Fenton brings to this play. The issue won't be solved with a single conversation, but the conversation must be had. Excellent!