Recommended by Dan West

This show IS funny! The cast of a late-night weekend sketch show is forced to confront the serious side of comedy when a fanatical madman takes their live show hostage in an effort to get his "message" out to the world. All four main characters are masterfully drawn in this immensely stageable, Chayefsky-esque dark comedy.

Certain plays are to be felt as much as watched, and this is one of those plays. Our main character is stuck in a cycle of loss, reliving the day of her brother's death over and over again and again. Relentlessly. Unable to escape. Gnat Frye's unique writing style is rich and compellingly poetic, creating worlds that I feel grateful I get to visit, but so glad that I don't have to live there. Truly a beautiful, if disturbing, piece

It's not easy growing up in a fairy tale world. In this short play, five young characters from fable join in a group therapy setting where they work with their therapist Camille on mommy/daddy issues, substance addiction, and pathological mythomania to hilarious effect. Jack (of Beanstalk fame) is the latest trouble teen to join the group, and his arrival threaten to throw the whole lot into a downward spiral of chaos and violence.

A tight political allegory that frames the current American political scene as a pending hurricane bearing down on us all. While some seek to protect all that may be impacted other look out for only themselves, seek ways to benefit from the suffering of others, deny it all, or simply just watch as a detached observer knowing that the impact that they face personally may be minimal. A powerful and impactful piece packed into a concise 10-minute package.

A mysterious stranger leads two others on an endless, circular journey through a liminal space. One their trip they will discuss such subjects as life, death, silence, noise, parents, umbrellas, mythology, loss, and the murder of the child Beethoven. An odd, intriguing, and most of all compelling absurdist play that will leave you thinking about where life is taking you (and how many bagels you will be left with in the end.)

Can nihilism have a soul? I would argue that, in this case, it does. Ayla is a lost soul, struggling through both self-destructive and murderous intentions in a world she never asked for or made. As her life spirals out of control through a series of relationship and a haze of drugs and violence, the question becomes whether any that encounter her can survive the interaction. This compelling tale of Gen Z disaffection gives you a lot to wrap your mind around.

A downright hilarious exploration of friendship, fan clubs, and middle school infatuation. The three young characters in this short piece are bound together by a common infatuation until one of them realizes that she is no longer obsessed with the object of their affection and the group must determine how to handle it. The denouement is brutally perfect.

Clint and Renee are working class couple living a lie. He is angry and unable accept who he is while she had physically and emotionally fled into the arms of another. Their barely sustained status quo begins to unravel when Renee's brother Lee enters the picture throwing off their delicate balance. Austin Bennett has created powerful and provocative kitchen sink drama that will leave you thinking.

Clever and well crafted 10 minute piece about an extramarital affair gone wrong. Rick and Michelle are shocked when the “Private Detective” hired by Rick’s wife turns out to actually be something far more insidious. But all may not be quite as it seems in this original and creative take. Well worth staging.

A powerfully dark noir about a photographer balancing the desire to kill his unfaithful wife with the hope that she and her lover take him out first. The lead character, Nick, is already less than stable when the play begins, and the audience is welcomed into his troubled mind as he proceeds to descend deeper and deeper into his self-destructive madness. A disturbing piece that you simply cannot stop from getting drawn into.