Recommended by Morey Norkin

Paul Smith is truly a brilliant writer. This monologue, written in verse, with clever interior rhyming, is a joy to read! No doubt it would be a joy to perform for an actor or witness from the audience.

Paul Smith is truly a brilliant writer. This monologue, written in verse, with clever interior rhyming, is a joy to read! No doubt it would be a joy to perform for an actor or witness from the audience.

Paul Smith treats us to another short play with a film legend. Unlike with with James Mason’s nostalgic recollections in “The Deaths of James Mason,” we see an Orson Welles at a time when he was more of a punchline than a legend, reduced to making wine commercials. Still, the story is told with sensitivity and provides a glimpse of the artist from earlier times. A choice role for an accomplished actor.

What a clever idea! Paul Smith has created a charming monologue for this film icon. I wonder if there is a full-length version in the works?!

A government agency named for and structured according to Maslow‘a hierarchy of needs is the setting for Emma Woods’ very clever, satirical short. Two new hires on their first day of training, through comical role playing and learning new acronyms, learn how the bureaucracy is designed to avoid providing services to customers. PTB had me laughing out loud! This would be a delightful addition to any festival.

The weekend in question was in 1991, when Americans were riveted by Anita Hill’s testimony in the Clarence Thomas Supreme Court nomination hearings. You already know the cast of characters and the outcome of the hearing. That’s what makes Rich Rubin’s play all the more remarkable. It feels like you’re truly experiencing these events for the first time and hoping for a different ending. This play has a history that goes back to at least 2012, but its importance now can’t be overstated. Read it! Produce it!

I struggle to write one play with a coherent beginning, middle, and end. In “1st Impressions,” Samantha Marchant has cleverly crafted three short plays, each of which can go in wildly enjoyable directions depending on audience choices. Regardless of the choices, the stories all reveal themselves to be closely connected in surprising ways. What fun for audiences and actors alike!

This play is just too funny for words! The setting alone, two super villains going over a tax return, is already hilarious. Then the dialogue delivers all the expected laughs. Two great characters that show we are all just one industrial accident away from living out our darkest thoughts.

Set in a Central American rain forest, Off the Map is a whirlwind of exploration, ancient rituals, mythology, and mystery. Denny and Claire are a middle aged couple trying early retirement and searching for the spark to rekindle their relationship. A pair of archeologists make an unusual discovery on their property and nothing is the same from that point on. The story will keep you guessing, the characters will keep you amused and engaged, and you’ll be glad you came along for the adventure!

With the 1991 riots in the Crown Heights area of Brooklyn as its background, Zeph and Violet: A Race Romance tells the story of an unexpected relationship between a young Hasidic Jewish man and a young Black woman. The characters are both quirky and charming and you can’t help but want for their happiness. Krystle Adams does a terrific job of dealing sensitively yet honestly with issues of religious and racial differences. An optimistic, hopeful piece. Something we could use more of.