Recommended by Dan West

What’s there to do in Temecula on a typically evening when the workday is done? Mostly the same old same old; maybe a concert, maybe not. Kat and Bex crave something new, something different, to break up the monotony of their humdrum coffee shop existences. Will they find it? Or maybe it will find them. This tightly written and always entertaining short play would make a great addition to any 10-minute festival or evening of one-acts.

Asking a coworker out on a date can be awkward. Sometimes cringingly so. Particularly if one of the parties can’t get out of their own way. In this tight two-hander, A.A. Garner presents us with two very rootable characters and then leaves us wondering if they will ever make it to the restaurant (let alone the alter.) A sweet, fun, and funny short play.

What is the meaning of existence inside a manufactured plastic snowglobe where the house is too small to be dwelt in, the trees topple over freely, and the snow just so much paper? Sonja and Ingrid as the sole denizens of this micro-universe debate the meaning of life, the existence of God, faith vs science, and the need for sexual gratification in a play where the answers are nowhere near as important as the questions being asked. A rich, funny, and smartly philosophical two-hander.

Nobody’s perfect. Not even Death. Particularly if you are a reaper-in-training with one collection to go before graduation. But what if you mess up so bad that not even God, Satan, and the small town of Viewbrook, TX can reach a mutually acceptable solution. A charmingly profane 10-minute play that nails its target dead on.

An intriguing concept peice. A murder has happened in a locked escape room; but the obvious suspect might not be quite so obvious as it seems. As the detective proceeds with her interrogation, everything we thinknwe know gets turn in its head and we begin to question whether a murder even happened at all. Definitely a great "change-of-pace"/"experimental" addition to any 10-minute play festival or evening of one acts.

As a parent to children with autism diagnoses, this is the exact sort of representation that our communities need. Kevin's Story is a sensitive, authentic, and entertaining peak into the life of those so often under or misrepresented in contemporary media. Lindsay Harris-Friel clearly knows her subject matter and it shows in this witty and creative one person show.

This play works on so many levels: as a philosophical treatise on the nature of justice (vs revenge), as a locked room mystery, as a commentary on "cancel culture", and - most importantly - and a compelling and entertaining work for the stage. Six people who are too smart for their own good gather in an abandoned house to put one of their number on trial for their "crimes against the community". But who is really on trial? Maybe all of us.

In this short, meta-theatrical play; we watch as our hero Joel lives out his entire life for better of worse in front of our eyes in roughly ten minutes. Joel is not a bad man (nor is he a particularly good one); but what he is is human with all of humanity’s flaws and foibles. And bearing witness to his struggles - both human and theatrical - helps lead us to reflect on how we each have managed our own lives. An interesting and thoughtful piece.

A lonely heart, a bartender, and a drag queen meet in a bar... Orlando is on a quest to meet the man of his dreams. But is the object of his infatuation right around the corner or is he being catfished? And are Gil and Betty there to help or do they have secrets of their own. A fun and funny short play that will keep you guessing and where things are not quite what they seem.

In this fun and outrageous retelling of the Parable of the Drowing Man, Christopher Plumridge presents us with a gleefully obstinate would be Noah who is either far to faithful or far too lazy for his own good. In this debate between the credos "My god will save me" and "God helps those that help themselves" the real winner is the audience.