Recommended by Morey Norkin

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.

Move over, Indiana Jones, there’s a new hero in town - Dash Malone! John Busser’s clever comedy features an archetypal matinee idol whose over-sharing with the audience foils multiple attempts to escape from the dastardly Captain Ramirez. In true serial adventure form, Busser even manages to leave us with a cliffhanger! I hope there’s a sequel in store!

This is a tender and moving story of an aging parent and their conflicted adult son. The soothing, non-judgmental voice of reason, encouragement, and compassion in the form of a virtual assistant, is such a nice touch. “Would You Like Help With That?” is written as a Zoom play, and it is perfect for that format. I’m sure a theater with the technical know how and a creative director could also make this a compelling piece for the stage!

This play is simply brilliant. Focused on the short adult life of Martha Jefferson, She Tunes the Violin is heartbreaking, frustrating, and at times very funny as Fereind shines a spotlight on how Martha’s life and the lives of the Jefferson “servants” are subject to the white male patriarchy of colonial America. The scene where John Adams is reading from the Declaration of Independence is jaw-dropping. Read it and you’ll see what I mean. This play truly deserves to be produced, often!

Here’s a predicament that works in a variety of contexts, making this short play enjoyable for all audiences. Who hasn’t hit send or enter and then wished they could retrieve the message before the intended target could read it? Do you keep writing and possibly dig a deeper hole? Or simply move on? So much possibility that will keep audiences buzzing afterwards.