Recommended by Greg Mandryk

Obviously, this is too niche to ever be performed for the general public. But if you've ever been on NPX (like you are right now), you fit right in with the target audience. So, give it a read. And I agree one hundred percent with Jacquelyn Floyd-Priskorn. I'm procrastinating right now.

If you could gather all the armchair “experts” that flood every online news article’s comments section into one room, would you want to be in it? Probably not, but thanks to Cam Eickmeyer’s CATASTROPHE AWAITS, you can at least laugh at them.

Why do bank robbers make such appealing characters? Maybe it’s that glimpse of the life we would like to believe we might live ourselves should we ever decide to give our sense of morality the heave-ho. Whatever the reason, A PLAN is a charmer. The dialogue between Kenny and Charlie is delightful, as the seasoned vet dispenses valuable insight on such matters as escape routes, evading security cameras, and which food items make the best stand-ins for firearms.

Here’s a nice, bite-sized bit of horror. Not much is clear other than one character is in a life-or-death situation with “it” closing in on them. Christopher Plumridge feeds you just enough to keep you in suspense and then steps back to let your own imagination fill in the blanks.

The dark is a scary, scary place, and Jaquelyn Floyd-Priskorn's Olly Olly Oxen Free keeps you there. What are the rules? What are the stakes? Who (or what) is the third player lurking out in the darkness? Concrete answers aren't given, leaving you grasping at hints and suggestions. Creepy, good stuff!

One advantage short plays have over longer affairs is that the audience often goes in completely blind. This horror story is mostly effective because it's not clearly a horror story... until it's too late. Once the trap is sprung and the protagonist's fate is sealed, we're just as surprised as they are. Well done!

Let's make screwball comedies the rage again and let it be known that Intellectuals by Scott Sickles started the movement. I don't often read full-length plays on NPX (who has the time?), but this play drew me in and didn't let go until the final page. With entanglements galore and dialogue that positively crackles, this one's an absolute charmer!

It would fit in nicely with an evening of non-horror, Halloween-themed short plays. The demons are adorable and the drama stokes up the warm-and-fuzzies.

This probably one of Mr. Busser’s best. If you haven’t read it yet (or been lucky enough to catch a performance), then there’s something missing in your life and you need to fix that.

If you want a play about accepting one’s impending death, you have other options, surely. But if you want one that’s also light-hearted and charming, you can’t do much better than THE PRODIGAL COW.