Recommended by Arthur M Jolly

I was privileged to see the reading at the Valdez Theatre Conference, and it was one of my high points of that week. A phenomenal play - brilliantly theatrical, emotionally resonant and timely, and has an ending that will shake the walls of the theatre. Marjorie Muller has written a masterpiece that rightfully stands up and demands to be seen.

An absolutely beautiful monologue, a meditation on life, and a brilliant showpiece for a young actor wanting to show off their talents! Yes, basic juggling skills are probably essential...but, as the monologue teaches us, dropping a ball isn't the end of the world...it's not even the end of this delightful monologue.

This darkly comic allegory for the abuse of power and the erosion of rights seems all too timely, but in "King", Gene Kato skillfully uses comedy and absurdism to lead the audience exactly where he wants them before they know what's happening. A well-written piece that demands attention.

A poignant play, set in WWII, but the real life story of Hazel Ying lee is timely and timeless. This brief glimpse into her life and her encounter with a suspicious farmer and his wife echoes through to today, illustrating the current conversations around immigration and who "belongs."

A fascinating, puzzling, fantastic and mystical play, a prison drama that also opens up into a brave new world, intertwining time-travel (or time dilation) with the flexibility of memory and the lingering effects of past trauma. Schwartz has created a truly original play, with shades of "A Clockwork Orange." Staging it would be both a challenge and a brilliant opportunity for a creative, imaginative designer.

I read this in the Best 10-Minute Plays of 2024, and its place is well deserved! It's a funny concept, with Goldilocks meeting up with Baby Bear years later on a date, but it quickly delves into powerful human emotional levels, well crafted and explored with a deft touch and great humanity. And bearish-ness. It's a lovely play.

The joy in this short play, the sheer fiun of handling serious, important questions about sexuality, gender-identity, societal pressures, climate change, but all done by two actors in "big, somewhat outlandish shark suits," one of whom has a leg in their mouth... delightful. Lohne has created something truly original that is profound and ridiculous in a beautifully harmonic balance.

Sweet, engaging–no pun intended–and romantic, and all right before a funeral. A heady combination, handled dexterously by Kay Ward. This ten minute piece about a young couple handling major overlapping life events, while dealing with family and relationship dynamics, encompasses so much, and so well.

What a devilishly delightful little play! Compact, intriguing, easy to stage, with an original twist on the "Devil makes a deal for your soul" genre, which is challenging to accomplish. This one is a fun one, and will keep your audience guessing!

Absolutely brilliant. I was lucky enough to see this one at the Valdez Theatre Conference, and Seth McNeil has taken the angst and existential questions posed by Wilder or Becket and distilled them to a wickedly funny ten minute piece that works as a light, acerbic and witty addition to an evening of ten-minutes works, but also has serious depths that will linger with an audience. It's the theatrical equivalent of a shot of Limoncello - delicious but you'll be feeling the effect!