Recommended by Morey Norkin

Andrew Martineau’s The Rotary Phone is a delightful look at past technology and some amusing changes in the decades ahead. I still remember my first phone number, a combination of letters and numbers printed in the center of our rotary phone. This play will either be nostalgic or a history lesson depending on your age. In either case, it’s absolute fun!

A few short pages that speak volumes.

Ok. Take a deep breath. Whew. Christopher Plumridge has created the most beautiful monologue of a new father telling his infant son his hopes and dreams for the young lad. You’ll laugh and cheer along until Plumridge makes the big reveal. Then get your hanky out. I was left feeling sad but also hopeful that Mikey will indeed lead the Spurs to the cup!

In this beautifully crafted story, Nora Louise Syran reminds us of the history of Ellis Island as central to immigration in late 19th and early 20th century America. This play presents a great opportunity for actors and audiences alike to appreciate the hardships that immigrants have always faced and the contributions they have made and continue to make. The structure, which consists of short scenes, actors playing multiple roles, and some music lends itself to an intimate reader’s theater or a fully staged production. Opportunities are boundless. This should be staged often!

This play is so hysterical and given its utterly bizarre premise, while Karli and Bryan weigh their options, the whole thing kind of makes sense. Not only did this play make me laugh (a lot!), it made me miss Bob’s Big Boy!

Not surprising this play has received a couple of audience choice awards. Clever, fast paced dialogue mixed with physical comedy, Women of the World is a treat to read and is so easy to visualize on the stage. Emma Wood creates three distinct, completely believable characters in the three young women on the road to independence. Chasing spiders is not for the faint of heart. But it sure can provide a lot of laughs!

This is my other recommendation of a chilling, eerie short from Debra Cole. In Pressure Points, we have a male supervisor treating two female subordinates to a reward for their fine work managing schools in a private system. It seems there are no red lines this supervisor will not cross. I found it hard to sit comfortably while reading this because the supervisor is so… eww! This play will spark a good deal of discussion, especially from anyone who has ever felt even the slightest discomfort in the workplace. Bound to be the talk of any festival!

I just read two of Debra Cole’s short plays, both eerie and chilling, but in very different ways. Good Samaritan is a tightly written mystery in which a tragedy is slowly revealed to be something more menacing. I wanted the play to continue because I was worried about what might happen next! I can imagine audience members wanting to shout out a warning! Worthy of Hitchcock!

Puns promised, puns delivered! Zany, crazy, and lots of fun! Bodily fluids aside, or wherever one keeps them, Jarred Corona has discovered his superpower!

This is an extremely intense 10 minutes! Two brothers reveal the years of abuse that lead them to an act of desperation. That is followed by fear of the consequences, which leads to the final act of desperation. I think audiences seeing this staged live will be amazed to discover that they are capable of holding their breath for 10 minutes! Powerful. Riveting. Disturbing. A must see!