Recommended by Morey Norkin

A beautiful friendship shared by three young children connects their families and models the love that fills their households. Ryan Vaughan fills this play with sweetness, warmth, and love, which makes the losses so heartbreaking. If you have a heart, you will cry. A lot. But you can take courage from the characters in this play and get through it together with them. Beautifully done.

I read part one a while ago, but decided to read this collection in its entirety. What a wise choice. Following Daphne, Bertram, Zoey, and Robert on their journey of self understanding, acceptance, and friendship, as a group and one-on-one, was heartwarming and inspiring. Each character unique and lovable in their own way. I hope that children, parents, educators, and policymakers will see this and learn from it.

The tension and the laughs escalate at a frantic pace in this clever look at holiday traditions. The narration that places the inter-family squabble into historical context is simply brilliant. So much to love about this play, including a character who could pass for George Santos, Jr. Obviously a great addition to any holiday themed festival, but truly a comedy that should be welcome year-round.

I laugh-est myself silly with this delightful mashup of Shakespeare, Hansel and Gretel, and Valley girl speak! Melissa Milich makes great use of Shakespearean quotes and fills the dialogue with loads of wonderful groan-worthy jokes. Methinks the groundlings at any festival would shout huzzah!

The camaraderie between these two characters, a Britney Spears impersonator and a waitress, makes this Las Vegas play a sure bet. The two share their disappointments and dreams as they discuss fanciful plans for knocking over the Bellagio. Ken Levine’s witty dialogue is a sheer joy to read. This is a winner!

Once you realize you’re in the viewing room of a prison execution chamber, you can hardly catch your breath until the end of this tense drama. Terrific examination of the death penalty and the multiple victims of a horrible crime. Well done!

Now I’m not sure I want to be able to communicate with my cat. I don’t think I can keep up with her thought process. What a singularly original and entertaining work! I love how the older cat teaches the younger similar to The Rain in Spain. Which makes me think, if this becomes a musical, there must be a song that starts “196,883 dimensions.” I would come to see this several times!

A gripping drama set during the early days of the AIDS crisis, Paul Donnelly’s MEMORIAL DAY unflinchingly captures the fear and hopelessness of that time, and raises the question of what constitutes ethical treatment. And even with the seriousness of the subject matter, Donnelly manages to lighten the mood with welcome humor, particularly with the presence of a free spirited spirit. A beautifully written play with well-defined characters, MEMORIAL DAY should be on your reading list and producers should take note.

I’m imagining an audience of my age (advanced) with the women nodding and laughing and the men, like me, with their mouths agape. This play is a very clever and funny look at the human lifecycle as ruled by estrogen, otherwise known as Big E. Afterwards the women are still chuckling about how spot on Deb Cole’s script is while the men are asking each other “did you know that?!” Hilarious and educational! Just what you expect from a teacher!

The first line is hysterical, and then a line or two later I’m made to feel guilty about laughing, which makes me laugh even more! I love how this play of fairytale princesses in a beauty salon never takes itself seriously. Time to give Steel Magnolias a rest and let the damsels at Fan C Cuts have their day!