Recommended by Craig Houk

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    Beautiful work! The dialogue is exceptional, effortlessly natural, and brimming with warmth, wit, and heart. In just a few pages, Mathew Green captures a perfect slice of life between two aging lovebirds whose affection feels utterly authentic. Every laugh lands because it's rooted in genuine love. A beautifully observed, deeply funny, and surprisingly touching play.

    Beautiful work! The dialogue is exceptional, effortlessly natural, and brimming with warmth, wit, and heart. In just a few pages, Mathew Green captures a perfect slice of life between two aging lovebirds whose affection feels utterly authentic. Every laugh lands because it's rooted in genuine love. A beautifully observed, deeply funny, and surprisingly touching play.

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    This one-minute play brilliantly transforms a bustling nightclub into an eerie silence, leaving two formidable women locked in a deadly standoff. Their confrontation is tense, witty, and unexpected, culminating in the revelation that neither is fighting over a man. Instead, they stand as independent, progressive women driven by their own convictions, making the play both a sharp subversion of expectations and a memorable theatrical punch. At least that’s my take on it. Brilliant!

    This one-minute play brilliantly transforms a bustling nightclub into an eerie silence, leaving two formidable women locked in a deadly standoff. Their confrontation is tense, witty, and unexpected, culminating in the revelation that neither is fighting over a man. Instead, they stand as independent, progressive women driven by their own convictions, making the play both a sharp subversion of expectations and a memorable theatrical punch. At least that’s my take on it. Brilliant!

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    I really enjoyed this piece. Charles Scott Jones takes the familiar rhythms of classic film noir and tilts them just enough to create something funny, unsettling, and unexpectedly poignant. Finn and Hope feel like a lived-in couple, with sharp banter masking deeper anxieties about ambition, marriage, and the future. It's quirky without trying too hard, genuinely engaging, and lingers long after the final line.

    I really enjoyed this piece. Charles Scott Jones takes the familiar rhythms of classic film noir and tilts them just enough to create something funny, unsettling, and unexpectedly poignant. Finn and Hope feel like a lived-in couple, with sharp banter masking deeper anxieties about ambition, marriage, and the future. It's quirky without trying too hard, genuinely engaging, and lingers long after the final line.

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    Asher Wyndham has earned a reputation for crafting exceptional monologues, and The Fixer is another striking example of his command of the form. He's clearly incredibly well read, weaving history, politics, literature, and pop culture into language that's often surprisingly poetic. I especially enjoyed experiencing the story through the villain's perspective, and the biting political commentary is both wickedly funny and unsettling. It's a smart, fearless piece that really sticks with you.

    Asher Wyndham has earned a reputation for crafting exceptional monologues, and The Fixer is another striking example of his command of the form. He's clearly incredibly well read, weaving history, politics, literature, and pop culture into language that's often surprisingly poetic. I especially enjoyed experiencing the story through the villain's perspective, and the biting political commentary is both wickedly funny and unsettling. It's a smart, fearless piece that really sticks with you.

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    Mathew Green says more with less. The sparse dialogue is deceptively simple, yet every line carries weight. The ringing bell becomes a brilliant Pavlovian device that quietly builds dread while the sharp political commentary and dark humor land with precision. Timely, unsettling, and beautifully written.

    Mathew Green says more with less. The sparse dialogue is deceptively simple, yet every line carries weight. The ringing bell becomes a brilliant Pavlovian device that quietly builds dread while the sharp political commentary and dark humor land with precision. Timely, unsettling, and beautifully written.

  • Craig Houk: Courage, Lads by Vince Gatton
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    Vince Gatton has an extraordinary ability to tell stories that are both epic and deeply human. Courage, Lads packs suspense, humor, heartbreak, and a believable love story into just a few pages. Every beat is earned. I desperately want to dislike Gatton with every fiber of my being, but I've met him. He's annoyingly talented, genuinely kind, and just snarky enough to leave me no choice but to recommend his work.

    Vince Gatton has an extraordinary ability to tell stories that are both epic and deeply human. Courage, Lads packs suspense, humor, heartbreak, and a believable love story into just a few pages. Every beat is earned. I desperately want to dislike Gatton with every fiber of my being, but I've met him. He's annoyingly talented, genuinely kind, and just snarky enough to leave me no choice but to recommend his work.

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  • Craig Houk: Shifting by Sache (Steven) Satta
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    Shifting is a mesmerizing supernatural tale that blends ancient folklore with a deeply human queer love story. A compelling love triangle, unforgettable characters, razor-sharp dialogue, and startling secrets keep the pages turning. I don't want to give away the surprises, because discovering them is part of the magic. I highly recommend reading this play, and even more, seeing it brought to life on stage.

    Shifting is a mesmerizing supernatural tale that blends ancient folklore with a deeply human queer love story. A compelling love triangle, unforgettable characters, razor-sharp dialogue, and startling secrets keep the pages turning. I don't want to give away the surprises, because discovering them is part of the magic. I highly recommend reading this play, and even more, seeing it brought to life on stage.

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  • Craig Houk: Crater by Scott Sickles
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    Crater is a nicely crafted piece about longing, reinvention, and the strange ways we seek closure. What begins as a sharp, intimate encounter gradually reveals itself as something far more poignant… a meditation on memory, desire, and the emotional impact of roads not taken. Funny, tender, and quietly devastating, it’s a deceptively compact play that leaves a lasting impression.

    Crater is a nicely crafted piece about longing, reinvention, and the strange ways we seek closure. What begins as a sharp, intimate encounter gradually reveals itself as something far more poignant… a meditation on memory, desire, and the emotional impact of roads not taken. Funny, tender, and quietly devastating, it’s a deceptively compact play that leaves a lasting impression.

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  • Craig Houk: Church on Fire by Caden Barley
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    Church on Fire is an assured piece of writing that builds two deeply human, fully three-dimensional characters within a brief runtime. Through sharp humor, authentic voice, and emotionally grounded conflict, the play reveals profound truths about love, faith, and acceptance with striking simplicity. It is timely, compassionate, and nicely crafted, delivering an important message not through preaching, but through genuine humanity.

    Church on Fire is an assured piece of writing that builds two deeply human, fully three-dimensional characters within a brief runtime. Through sharp humor, authentic voice, and emotionally grounded conflict, the play reveals profound truths about love, faith, and acceptance with striking simplicity. It is timely, compassionate, and nicely crafted, delivering an important message not through preaching, but through genuine humanity.

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  • Craig Houk: Erstwhile by Philip Middleton Williams
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    Erstwhile is a thoughtfully constructed short play that balances wit with an underlying sense of reflection and consequence. Philip Middleton Williams uses polished dialogue and an inventive premise to explore questions of privilege, identity, and accountability, creating an engaging two-hander that is both entertaining and quietly resonant.

    Erstwhile is a thoughtfully constructed short play that balances wit with an underlying sense of reflection and consequence. Philip Middleton Williams uses polished dialogue and an inventive premise to explore questions of privilege, identity, and accountability, creating an engaging two-hander that is both entertaining and quietly resonant.

    ”