Recommended by Morey Norkin

Whoa! Kuchisake Onna, the slit mouth woman, is one Japanese ghost you don’t want to encounter. As presented here in traditional Noh style by Marilyn Ollett, this short piece is absolutely frightening! There’s rarely a good outcome when encountering this ghost, and that’s true for this well-done version. I advise reading this in daylight.

There’s not a moment wasted in this 2-pager, as Jacquie Floyd-Priskorn lays bare the curse of type casting, body type in particular, and its effect on self image. And as Hollywood and the fashion industry have made clear, there’s only room for one “fat” person. This should be required reading for all casting directors!

In this expertly crafted one-act, Philip Middleton Williams explores the nature of art and what motivates an artist (playwrights included), as well as the difficulty of moving on from the past and being fully present in the present. With rich characters, including the one unseen, and a plot that unwinds at a pace that is sure to draw you in, WATERCOLORS is more than ready for an audience. Theaters and producers, take note!

A truly multi denominational holiday story for our time. Deb Cole modernizes a well-known story with humor and sweetness, and makes it a teaching moment for one grumpy hotel manager along with the rest of us. What more could you ask for?!

This is so sweet and clever! You’ll want to follow these two characters to try to find out how they handle the big unanswered question. For such a short play, it will certainly leave audiences talking… and smiling.

Mad scientist or not, would you try to bring back the dead if you thought you could? And how might that play out? Aly Kantor provides some insight as a scene is replayed with various results: comic, haunting (as in spooky), and haunting (as in lingering in the memory). It’s this last result that has the greatest effect. This is a play that will linger in your memory long after you read or see it.

Lou Jones has crafted a charming play that contrasts the vanity and shallowness of today’s influencer culture with the resilience of a couple of generations earlier. With Libby, the young influencer, onstage alone for most of the play, we get to see her growth as she begins to understand the treasure in her grandmother’s attic. Beautifully done.

This is a great new look at the classic three little pigs and the big bad wolf. Marcia Eppich-Harris not only treats us to the comical home life of Big Bad and wife , Queenie, but she also presents a terrific satire of capitalism and corporate greed. This would be so much fun to see on stage!

This is so delightful! The banter and gentle teasing between these two men shows the familiarity that comes with a long-term relationship, but they’ve certainly lost none of the spark. Don Baker’s word play is hysterical, from the name of the downstairs coffee shop to various gay porn titles. And then there’s the universal theme of growing old(er). Baker handles this with a nice light touch and throws in a zinger at the end. This absolutely needs to be staged!

Talk about making an entrance! And, unfortunately for Festus, an exit at the same time. This is hysterical to read and I imagine even more so to see staged! And you can do just that if you happen to be in or around Chestetown, Maryland, June 23 to July 9!