Recommended by Morey Norkin

You wouldn’t expect a story about an adult and their sock puppet to be so moving, but you would be wrong. Lee R. Lawing takes a comically absurd premise, and tells a beautiful tale of love, loss, and despair. A great opportunity for an actor to completely reverse audience expectations and leave them spellbound.

This is a sweet, feel-good story of a loving, queer couple trying to deal with an adoption issue. When the surrogate mother reneges on the contract, one spouse hatches a desperate plan. The result is a comic delight. And as the couple come to terms with their fate, we see just how wonderful they would be at parenting. A lovely story with a most satisfying ending.

Hilarious! So many cliches including a brilliant, extended breaking of the fourth wall. As someone who is guilty of committing some of the excesses on display here, I can’t stop laughing. Neil Radtke, great job!

A good riddle will have a memorable punchline. And I was sure Paul Smith was setting me up for exactly that when he brought up the Batman TV series. But rather than a punchline, Smith delivers an emotional roundhouse. In this monologue, he shows us that the power of words, actually a single word, can be devastating. Simply brilliant writing.

The trials and tribulations of adjusting to a new puppy. Pet owners can look back at those early days and laugh fondly. Lucky us, we can read or watch this play and laugh now. A great role for a truly energetic performer and fun for all!

A brief but funny and sweet look at what friendship is all about. That freedom to joke, to speak candidly, to support one another. Dana Hall shares these ideas in a glimpse of a book club where it seems anything besides books is up for discussion. Wonderful ensemble opportunity for actors and a real treat for audiences.

The advent of home DNA testing and supporting websites have made it easier to find previously unknown relatives. Finding is one thing. Connecting another. In a lively and engaging 10 minutes, Deb Cole shows us the awkwardness of two middle-aged sisters meeting a much younger half-sister for the first time. Uncomfortable family secrets are revealed, but that opens the door for the three to truly be sisters. Audiences will enjoy this and may even want to share their own DNA stories.

There’s certainly a love-hate relationship between playwrights and theatres, especially where submission guidelines are concerned. And nothing riles up a playwright quicker than the dreaded submission fee. Brenton Kniess accurately and hilariously captures exactly what so many playwrights feel. Hopefully there’s a theatre out there with a sense of humor, and no submission fee, willing to take this on.

Dark and disturbing on the surface. Ok, even a couple of layers down. But as Aly Kantor has her characters dig deeper, we also discover a surprisingly tender story of loneliness, acceptance, and maybe even love, albeit kind of strange. Great dialogue, intriguing characters, and a most original storyline make this a must read/must produce.

So very cute! And perhaps some day a future member of the Royal Shakespeare Company will look back fondly on their first role as a daffodil. Fun for children and the adults who will come to cheer them on.