Recommended by Morey Norkin

I listened to a terrific production and discussion of this play on the podcast Theatrical Shenanigans. Then I had to read it to more closely follow Dana Hall’s moving dialogue. The script provides important background on depression and how it was treated during the 1950s, the setting for this play. The story is truly a tragedy of loss compounded by the lack of understanding and available resources. This play will stay with you long after the hearing or reading.

Funny and tender with the most creative insults I’ve ever encountered! Not to mention a wonderful name for a cat! Claire’s need to fully express her frustration and Brian’s patience and understanding make these two a completely relatable couple. After 47 years, they are still capable of creating a new tradition. Some smart theater should make this play their holiday tradition!

This may be an oldie from Jacquie Floyd-Priskorn, but it is definitely a goodie! The three senior ladies are a laugh riot! But as the gossip centers on Mary, the missing fourth in their card game, we have to wonder exactly where is this assisted living facility located? And are they in the present? Or is Mary’s story an immaculate coincidence? Whatever the answers, this play is a true delight.

For want of a comma… I was thinking those very words and then they appeared on the page! But for this funny, witty, completely original play, the only things wanting are more readers and opportunities for staging! Hilarious!

Ricardo Soltero-Brown’s characters manage to convey so much without saying a word. Will these two cafe customers maintain their separate spaces or will they come together? The possibilities are endless, making this a real treat for actors and audiences.

If history won’t be taught truthfully in schools, then perhaps it is up to theater to pick up the slack. A brilliant work such as this is an excellent place to start. Ryan Kaminski shines a light on the mostly forgotten and truly committed anti slavery leader, Edward Coles, and his better known contemporaries, who may have shared his views but never seemed to feel the timing was right. This play will make you uncomfortable at times, as history should. But it will also make you hopeful to see the impact one person can have. Bravo!

I had the privilege of reading an earlier draft of this crazy piece, and I’ll say what I said then. I can’t believe Chris Plumridge went there! To know where “there” is, you’ll just have to read this. If any refreshments are available during a performance of this play, I imagine many women in the audience saying “I’ll have what she had!”

The world has become a frozen tundra, and the preferred mode of transportation is ice skating. Poor Henry is caught between his reckless skating friend, Milly, and an overzealous skating traffic cop. As Rachel Feeny-Williams cleverly demonstrates, the climate may change, but human interaction, including with police, remains the same. More fun than a quadruple toe loop, which is probably illegal.

Jennifer O’Grady has packed every negative play submission experience into this hilarious holiday short. The three Wise Men are about to become a little wiser about the ins and outs of short play festivals. Meanwhile, here’s hoping some legitimate festivals pick this one.

The timing couldn’t be better for this one! Santa meets Godzilla! What a great Christmas treat for adults.