Recommended by Morey Norkin

Installment 7 of the A Fragile Mind series takes place in a TV studio where an unusual game show is being broadcast. All of the characters, save one, are new but provide consequential background information. One rule of mysteries seems to be true: follow the money!

Installment 6 of the A Fragile Mind series finds Tammy and Rejuvenation Center escapee Brian in a dank, dark, underground setting. As if things weren’t creepy enough! The story continues to move at a dizzying exhilarating pace! Nothing and no one is what they seem! No stopping now!

Installment 5 of the A Fragile Mind series has Tammy on the run with therapist/girlfriend Kelli. On the run from what? From whom? Through the scattered memories of escapee Brian, the work of the Rejuvination Center is becoming clear. Will Tammy/Jenny find her truth? Can she save herself? I’m completely hooked as this story keeps twisting and turning in the most unexpected ways!

Installment 4 of the A Fragile Mind series finds us at a restaurant where Tammy/Jenny is having a meal with her co-workers and her therapist turned girlfriend. TRUST NO ONE! The situation is only becoming more frightening as Tammy’s awareness that something is off is heightened. It’s getting late and I need to close my eyes. But that’s just what they want me to do!

Installment 3 of the A Fragile Mind series finds us at Tammy’s workplace, an accounting firm. But as in the previous installments, things are not exactly as they seem. Genial co-workers morph into minders managing Tammy’s memory and identity all while she fights the fatigue of constant flashbacks. I’m not sure how this series can provide any more chills, but with Joe Swenson in charge, no doubt things are only just beginning to get intense!

Installment 2 of the A Fragile Mind series feels more like we’re in the real world with a seemingly normal therapy session. Or are we? And is it? Tammy, if that’s who she is, is having a recurring nightmare that was described in Installment 1. Kelli, the therapist, shows an attraction to Tammy that is unethical at best and perhaps somewhat sinister. Or could she turn out to be on Tammy’s side? And just who is on the other side and what do they want?! I can’t wait to find out!

In this first in a series, Joe Swenson takes us to an otherworldly environment with a Twilight Zone-y, Outer Limits-y vibe, but uniquely Swenson-y! Protagonist Jenny may be in a hospital, a spa, or a reeducation facility populated by reassuring or creepy AI beings. The suspense is palpable. There are 8 more installments. I don’t know where this is headed. I expect it will be pretty frightening, but I trust Joe Swenson to make the journey worthwhile! Stay tuned!

I’ve said this before and it bears repeating, Rachel Feeny-Williams is a master of the crime/mystery genre! In FAITH, TRUST AND… she takes the beloved characters from Peter Pan and places them in a Noir-ish, grungy, drug infested Neverland. It’s up to Detective JM Barry to sort out the latest nefarious goings on. Rachel smartly resists the urge to be campy or corny and instead serves up a truly thrilling mystery. Genius!

Christopher Plumridge told me this was his “silliest” play to date. But rather than being filled with silliness, I found it full of hilarity, merriment, and charm! A clever premise (Santa on trial for encroaching on October), wonderful puns (a defense attorney named Ivana Letimov), and a satisfying ending sure to melt the heart of any Grinch. The perfect Christmas present for audiences of all ages!

Deb Cole does not hold her punches, and in BUCKING THE CIS-TEM she lands a powerful roundhouse! This play provides an important lesson in understanding and accepting individual gender identity and pronouns. And it does so in a thoroughly entertaining way! I would love to see this play incorporated into teacher in-service training!