Recommended by Morey Norkin

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!

If the safety instructions for this unusual museum’s tour are this funny, I can hardly wait to see what the actual tour is like! John Busser includes a note about the two museum workers who assist the tour guide possibly improvising their demonstration of safety rules. Improvised or not, their pantomime is sure to add to the hilarity. Throw caution to the wind and read/produce this!

Over great periods of time old beliefs and customs are replaced with new ones. But to preserve the ancient stories, it often takes a poet to capture the essence of a time and its people. In this play, Einar is that poet, but in fact the true poet is playwright Nora Louise Syran. Here she lovingly weaves a tale of Norse mythology and Icelandic history to pass on to students, teachers, parents, or anyone else lucky enough to share in this experience. Entertainment and education in one beautiful package.

A painful memory, even two, leaves Rane contemplating taking their fate into their own hands. A sorrowful scenario, and yet Sarah Hajkowski creates a dreamlike theatrical experience. Even the stage directions are beautifully written. The subject matter is quite heavy, but for organizations skilled in areas related to mental health, this play is absolutely worthy of consideration.

In PHOTO FINISH, Abhisek Bhattacharya has created a tense drama around what may be the perfect crime. An invention so advanced that investigators can’t figure it out, but the inventor is wracked with guilt for being motivated by revenge. Is this invention possible? This play had me convinced it was. And it had me on the edge of my seat. Well done.

A prize student explains her head wound in hilarious and convoluted fashion. There’s a boyfriend who wants to get back together, a pillow fight, rock throwing, and dancing on a bar dressed as, what else, a Japanese schoolgirl. Pity the poor professor who tries to elicit the details and have her student get to the point. A very funny inter-generational two-hander.