Recommended by Morey Norkin

Hamlet is a hit! But the playwright, not the guy you probably studied in school, is kind of PO'd that Shakespeare is getting all the credit! A deal is a deal as we learn, but Shakespeare and company find a way for Edward de Vere (Ed) to anonymously enjoy the kudos from the crowd. What could be better than that?! Jennifer O'Grady, through the "Will, Kempe & Ed" series, shows not only her obvious love for Shakespeare, but her joy at all things related to making theater! What a great evening of theater this entire series provides!

Director Shakespeare has some trouble blocking the balcony scene because of his attraction to Romeo, played by Richard Burbage. Kempe and Ed recognizing the situation, improvise a plan to get Will focused again. Quite funny and adorable! This is the fourth in Jennifer O'Grady's wonderful series of "Will, Kempe & Ed" plays. You don't want to miss any of them!

Ed, or Edward de Vere, the mastermind behind Shakespeare's plays, takes out his frustration with the Queen missing his birthday by writing some pretty harsh stuff in a script. The troupe has to get hold of it before it's delivered to Her Majesty! Another funny installment in the "Will, Kempe & Ed" series, but with some serious introspection regarding the sacrifices (or excuses) often made for pursuing a life in the theater. Well done!

This delightfully funny installment in the "Will, Kempe & Ed" series provides a hilarious backstory on how Bottom's ears came to be! The dialogue could be from any theatre troupe today, which only adds to the comedy. Jennifer O'Grady has come up with a brilliant idea with this series of short Shakespearean spoofs!

A very clever look at who may have really been the genius behind Shakespeare's plays. This is the first in Jennifer O'Grady's series of delightful riffs on The Lord Chamberlain's Men, with Will Shakespeare in a decidedly different role. The interactions between Shakespeare, Will Kempe, and Edward (Ed) De Vere provide lots of laughs, as well as a fun way to introduce Shakespeare to young audiences. This play is the perfect kickoff to an excellent series!

In three short pages, Melissa Milich provides some romance plus a glimpse of America’s complicated feelings towards the military during the Vietnam war. Using the unseen Angry Neighbors, Milich creates a scene that at first appears almost comic, until an underlying hostility towards the young soldier is revealed. The marriage proposal is sweet, but we are left to wonder if the soldier’s cap left behind will be returned to its owner or serve as a memory of what might have been. Well done!

OMG! Mrs. Lovett, eat your heart out! Hilda and Ernest are such a sweet couple. Tending to an intruder’s injuries. Preparing a lovely dinner. Yeah, about that dinner. Paul Smith mixes the politeness of the couple with a dash of tension. The perfect recipe!

Sometimes it’s a song. Sometimes a place. And sometimes an object, like a bench, that holds our special memories of a love past but always part of us. Brenton Kniess captures this feeling beautifully in this moving monologue. So much for an actor to work with. Hope someone gets the chance.

Is it too late to get the band back together for a reunion tour? If anyone would know it’s The Fifth Horsemen of the Apocalypse. This short sketch, which is brimming with Jacquie Floyd-Priskorn’s trademark humor, makes me think of The Ruttles or Spinal Tap. I can certainly see this being expanded into a full-fledged mockumentary!

Who doesn’t love Lucy? And in this delightful look at 16-year-old Lucille Ball, Jennifer O’Grady presents a young woman doubting her talent because she was sent home from a prestigious acting school. The reason? She was too shy! Because of the support of her wise mother we know how things turned out. But what a wonderful lesson no matter your aspirations: believe in yourself and don’t let others define you. A wonderful chance to once again say I Love Lucy!