Recommended by Brent Alles

This piece effectively captures the biplay between certain guys, and yes, that's probably the proper term here. Filled with places where I found myself laughing heartily, sometimes just due to the rhythm between these three friends. However, beneath the sometimes rude and crude behavior, there's also empathy and poignancy here as well. First and foremost, this is very funny, but it's also deftly juggling a lot of balls as well as the brief narrative unfolds. (Hoping Gary, Jeff, and Sal would enjoy that last turn of phrase. Probably, they'd just bust me for it, which, fair.) Definitely check this out!

I really admire Shaw's ability to generate somewhat disturbing and yet still intriguing individuals in his work, and this short piece is no exception. The development of character is just really something in the brief time you get to spend with this individual, and the disorientation that comes with listening to her is somewhat fascinating, even if you're not cottoning to everything she's spewing while the spigot remains open. Pacing of the piece goes very well. This would definitely be a challenging monologue for an actor to take on in a variety of situations.

A darkly delicious slice of life here. I really enjoyed the technique Lavalle brings not only to character development but also line delivery that I think would be very humorous on the stage. Goes to prove that you can find humor in ANYTHING if you do it the right way, and I certainly feel Lavalle is doing things the right way here. After reading this, I'm definitely going to wonder about the small talk going around at certain events that I attend moving forward. Lavalle allows for a little bit of "voyeurism" here, which is kind of thrilling, actually.

Just when I think I've seen it all when it comes to time travel, Byham provides a memorable wrinkle (if you'll pardon the slight pun). Or IS it travel? Curiouser and curiouser. The concepts explored are just fascinating. (Can I momentarily focus on the ability to guess sporting events correctly? And the presumed morality that goes with that ability? No BTTF2 stuff here, folks.) However, what takes this from an intriguing concept exploration to a moving one act is indeed the power of love and the strong connections made between the "time ship" of Dave and his anchor. Great stuff!

I'm a sucker for "Old Hollywood," and Erb definitely captures that in this piece. What I admire is that it SOUNDS like it's from that era. So you're able to be transported back there so much more effectively. The history and the trivia is fun as well, and there are some wonderful moments sprinkled throughout. (My personal fave was the dance... I could just picture that in my mind and it made me smile.) For the right kind of audience, this would be a lovely one act to witness indeed. Bring us back to those Golden Years of Hollywoodland.

Impact here is achieved quickly. Fowler gets us to care about these characters in a short time while fascinating implications are raised in terms of the nature of reality itself. And yet there are constants, aren't there, even with all this multiversal speculation? Fowler recognizes that also, and so the short play maintains that empathic connection between us and the characters even as we ponder the scientific queries of those affected. This stands well on its own, but if it becomes a part of a larger work, as Fowler suggests it might, then I can't wait to see what develops!

Most of the time I'm reading plays about noble people (or people trying to be noble), so it was kind of refreshing and exhilirating to read Shaw's work here about a trio of (relative?) degenerates. That being said, the dialogue is snappy, interesting, and measured, and you definitely become intrigued with the lives of these three ne'er-do-wells. (Mirrors how I like a lot of Steely Dan songs that deal with degenerates, but I digress.) This was a very entertaining one act that would do well in the right type of festival, I think. Good stuff!

I love this kind of stuff, and Takacs definitely taps into a good sci fi groove here with his 10-minute. It keeps your interest throughout and has a great vein of dark humor as well. This would definitely be an interesting addition to any 10-minute festival that would have it!

An important work, as Swenson tackles a situation that's still very relevant. Explained well in the foreword to the piece, this is the last area of major league sports that has to deal with the issues at hand. As to the portrayal, I felt that the playwright showed authenticity and empathy, with multiple perspectives and character types to allow for a better panorama of the events as they play out. It avoids melodrama and instead gives us verisimilitude as to how this could play out in the real world. Very interested to see the continued development of this play!

A very modern "Waiting" play that's also very funny in its "absurdity of banality" approach. The general disorientation is effective as this play hurtles along as quickly as an (on time) subway. This would definitely be much fun for actors to pull off in a 10-minute festival!