Recommended by Sam Heyman

In "Bacon With Dad," Alli Hartley-Kong tells a delicate story about family, memory and moving forward. Knowing the premise might have you reading bracing for impact, but Hartley-Kong's writing is gentle and heartfelt throughout, even as the play comes to a close. It's a short work that'll make you want to call your parents, and in a very good way.

I'd call this a delightful surprise but John Bavoso's plays never fail to please -- what begins as a send up of sitcom humor tropes mixed with a biblical backdrop evolves into a thoughtful meditation on what it means to be God's chosen, righteous people. Noah and Na'amah are living through their own "unprecedented times" and though they have their share of doubts, they are, in the end, there for one another. The Ark of Negotiation is a pleasure to read.

Marcia Eppich-Harris accomplishes something fascinating in this 10-minute take on the classic tale of the Three Little Pigs by inviting us to see what happens after the Big Bad Wolf comes home to his Lady-McB-rivalling wife, Queenie. There's humor, there's intrigue, there's bad as good and good as bad and something delightful about something so evil. Impeccable short play!

Call Me Abigail is a play that perfectly blends the personal and the political, the sexual and the romantic, the dead seriousness of trying to make a name for one's self in one's field with some sort of dignity... and the wry humor of doing so when that field in question is, well, pornography. Shelli Pentimall Bookler does a remarkable job at juggling all of these themes while writing a play that is thoughtful, emotional and timely. Excellent work.

The Down-Low Dating Show works excellently well as a comedy sketch, playing with the form and commenting on gay (and DL) desire dynamics in a tight, concise package. I could see a cast having a lot of fun bringing these characters to life, and Steve gives each contestant something fun to work with.

The Laws of Kami is a sweet, humorous two-hander that engages with themes found in the elemental folktales and legends of old in a thoughtful way. I love this take on a lesser known creation tale, questioning whether the way things are and the laws of the universe really should be set in stone.

In Give Up The Ghost, Andrew Martineau balances horror-comedy hijinx with rising tensions to tell a story about college students in the present coming face to face with their would-be counterparts from the not-so-distant past. Although the Civil War and the horrors of slavery feel like a distant nightmare, Martineau reminds us that the specter of racism still walks among us, smoking our joints and drinking our beers. It haunts these young characters, and our culture as well.

I'll be honest, the title was what drew me in, but what kept me reading was Adam Richter's smart, tongue-in-cheek dialogue and charming characters. I love how Eunice and Mickey run circles around their human counterparts, I love Gary's fumbling attempts to do the work of a farmer and Carol's earnest, if under-researched approach to farm life. The three part structure also works in this play's favor. I could see a cast having a lot of fun with this piece!

Which artist among us hasn't felt humiliated, ignored and dejected, spurned by a critic, an unreceptive audience, a careless friend? DC Cathro writes a scenario that is both highly specific and broadly vindicating, to the point where it could be healing. James is a very supportive partner and although Diedre isn't easily convinced of her worth, James puts in the work. A sweet, emotional play.

You can take a wild scroll and pick the first Scott Sickles play your mouse lands on, and you're basically guaranteed to find a winner.

Morning After the Melee showcases this playwright's trademark knack for insight, humor and heart all while handling a premise that could, in another writer's hands, prove unwieldy. I loved Miguel and Cristobal's dynamic, and the way that their neurodivergent experience enables them to support each other, even when their shared foe is whisper-growing sour somethings in their ear.