Recommended by Kelly McBurnette-Andronicos

I saw a staged reading of this play at the 2024 Midwest Dramatists Conference. The premise is unique - a mother repeatedly subjects herself to situations involving gun violence because that’s when she feels closest to her deceased daughter. The play’s terrifying and repetitive dialogue serves as a parallel for actual gun violence in the U.S. School shootings keep happening and nothing changes. Salsbury’s work will haunt you for a long time. Remarkable.

Beneath the painful awkwardness of their initial meeting, are two willing souls about to take some risks. The rewards may be high or the losses devastating. Which is one reason why Eli feels compelled to control what he can to compensate for the things he can’t. An intimate look into the sexual dynamics of two newly matched lovers on a journey to discover each other. Warm and poignant.

Smith brings to light a little known incident from Chicago history - the true story of kid vampire hunters. How much fun it would be to see a production of this play on location at the Couch Tomb in Lincoln Park. Great roles for tweens, particularly girls. If I were 13 years old, I’d die to be in this play. A fresh subject with a fresh approach I truly enjoyed. Not your average TYA play!

Prillaman is one of the most interesting, unique playwrights I’ve found on NPX. His ability to serve up absurdity and surrealism seems effortless, seamlessly mixing the extraordinary and the mundane. In Bereavement Leave, we follow office co-workers through a typical week in a not-so-typical workplace. What I admired most about the script was the informality of the dialogue set against the evocative, image-rich, absurdist setting. Prillaman manages to find meaning in the seemingly meaningless. My brain cells felt slightly rearranged after reading it. If American theatre wants to be relevant, they should produce plays like this.

I enjoy 10 minute plays that are able to pack an entire world into such a small frame. And had I thought through the play's title, I might have picked up on the clever clue Kaminski affords us. Instead, I fell for the decoy, which made the plot twist all the more delicious. Nice two-hander.

This short play presents us with a justice scale of right vs. right. Not only does Donnelly give us a compelling argument for both sides, they make it difficult to choose. A piece of theatre that will spark a smoldering after burn. That time after the performance when the audience will debate the complexities of the situation. No easy answers here. Two well-written, distinct characters in this fast moving script. Well done.

Deliciously cringy, this short dark comedy brings four well-rounded characters to life in a play about the business of death. The puns are contagious and spread like fire through a crematorium. I especially enjoyed Daniel’s highly polished, overly rehearsed, commercial sound bites about dying and grief. A really enjoyable script!

Chilling scenario with some shady characters makes for an uncomfortable short in Love's "The Deal". You needn't look far to understand with whom the understanding is made - and what it means. This play will leave you ill at ease in all the best ways. And looking for a way out. Just like Stu. A tense, two-person drama.

This play about love and redemption reminded me of the concept of kintsukuroi - more beautiful for having been broken. The characters, broken and mended, relate stories of inherited traumas, current struggles, and future aspirations. Even the most abhorrent among them is worthy of our empathy. As flawed as they all are, it’s impossible to judge them harshly. The action of the play flows like poetry through a gauzy, dream-like storytelling. I delighted in the playwright’s crafting of the Black River, a formidable character in itself. I enjoyed every page. A truly beautiful play.

As if Venice doesn’t have enough challenges! Plumridge has dreamed up a wacky situation for our doges to contend with, if they could only get out of each other’s way. I’m a sucker for the absurd, and Plumridge delivers with a big helping of silly and improbable anachronisms. A really fun, short play that makes me want to romp around a bit more in the playwright’s mind. Loved it!