Recommended by Morey Norkin

A beautiful, humorous, and touching story of loss, love, deep friendship beyond the grave, modern Japanese culture, teaching English in Japan, Trivial Pursuit, and Star Trek Monopoly! Sounds like a lot, but it is all woven together wonderfully by Miz Hashimoto. With characters and relationships that draw you in instantly, THIS IS NOT A NOH PLAY would make for a great evening of theater.

When you enter a world created from Hannah Lee DeFrates’ imagination, you know you’re in for a treat. With echoes of her thrilling THE LAST SPIN CYCLE, a small band of plague doctors awaits their imminent escape from the Order. Silly games make way for sad remembrances and acts of heroism. The excitement builds to a breathtaking conclusion. I would love to see how a creative team translates this terrific piece from page to stage.

When we can’t seem to let go of the memory of someone we lost, are we clinging to that memory or is the memory an entity capable of controlling our emotions? In this deeply moving story from Jacquie Floyd-Priskorn, two parents struggle to move beyond their grief and guilt over losing a child and repair their marriage. Could painting a room be the answer? Beautifully written with wonderful possibilities for staging, including as a film for which it has already won numerous awards. Terrific work!

The Stillwell Agency has to be one of the best mystery franchises in literature! These two sisters, who enjoy relaxing over a cup of tea or indulging in a fine meal, always manage to pick up the clues that other investigators miss. Perhaps it’s intuition or just the way the two complement each other. Vivian Lermond has created an absolutely charming duo, and UNMASKED is a wonderful addition to their case files!

If you’ve ever made a purchase from Amazon, thought about it, or have only just heard of Amazon, this is a must read! Rich Rubin’s brilliant narrative of the inner workings of the internet behemoth comes across as an enlightening TED Talk, but so much better. If you didn’t know before, you’re bound to be surprised by what happens after you click to complete your order. Is an Amazon “fulfillment center” coming to your area? Read this before you apply for a job!

What a fascinating look at the later years of W.C. Fields’ life and relationships. Fields’ curmudgeonly on-screen persona often blends with his off-screen life, but as we see here he is desperate not to be alone. Jennifer O’Grady does a terrific job portraying the symbiotic relationships between Fields and sometimes live-in girlfriend Carlotta Monti and Fields and a young Anthony Quinn. As age and alcohol diminish his skills and opportunities, Fields seems destined to end his days alone. O’Grady provides a touching conclusion to this extraordinary.

A delightful meet-the-parents comedy where different religious views could be a deal breaker. But perhaps a Ten Commandments quiz can settle the score. Aiden and Harper are a couple you can’t help rooting for, and what fun it would be to see that meeting with the folks. Another winner from Alexa Schoffel!

Olive has been on a lot of first dates, and she has the pillows to prove it. Second dates are another story. Brenton Kniess has crafted a clever look at the dating scene that will be the talk of any festival.

More plot twists than a 1980s TV detective series! The comic banter in the office break room is spot on. Enter Sandy with her gift and things get crazy! And what happened to Emily?! Great fun!

It’s amazing how much we learn about these two characters and how quickly we care about them in this sweet, charming romantic comedy from Aly Kantor. So it’s really not surprising how quickly things develop between them as the storm develops outside. At first the two seem like polar opposites, but as they reveal their fears the more connected they become. I have no doubt audiences will fall in love with these two and be rooting for them!