Recommended by Dan West

If Mel Brooks had organized the Council of Nicaea it might have gone a lot long time. Jan-David Soutar takes aim at the politics of both the 4th and 21st centuries with keen wit and a clear understanding of the historical subject matter as he roasts the sort of autocrats both ancient and modern who put their own personal glory ahead of substantive truth and justice. And Santa takes a few shots too.

Two aging brothers cope with the recent loss of their elderly parents - one beloved and one terrifying. Through the use of liminal spaces, time skips, and multimedia video; Julie Grixlen has created a richly experimental dreamscape where the ghosts of the past (and the present) elicit both pain and comfort.

There is something amiss in TJ and Olivia’s storybook marriage. All of a sudden things have changed and TJ’s family has suddenly turn on the newlywed couple and seems determined to destroy their relationship and they won’t say why. As the mystery thickens and TJ struggles to keep their lives from spinning our of control, a genuinely shocking revelation forces him to confront his worst fears. Sarah Patton has crafted a very rich and compelling piece of theater.

Pat and Bob are sloths - honest to goodness three-toed sloths. While Pat is convinced there must be more to life than just eating, sleeping, and pooping (and the hazards entailed in that); Bob just wants to live out his remaining sloth years in peace - free of adventure, beneath the canopy. This short 10-minute play is well crafted and utterly charming and would make a great addition to any short play festival.

This haunting and deeply moving coming of age tale explores family, faith, and sense of belonging in Beatles era rural America. Set amidst the fabled late 60s Mothman cryptid sightings, teenager Dellie Harper finds herself confronted with a series of unexpected life changes that make her question her place in her deeply religious community. A beautifully woven narrative of personal loss and supernatural folklore.

Three college women get drawn by a new friend into a world of "demon sex magic" that promises to empower them; but may be the prelude to something much more insidious. gnat frye and avarice bernhardt have created a richly drawn world of disaffected, young LGBTQ+ characters that never fail to keep you on your toes as they wander through life is search of direction and purpose. These two writers speak with a clear and unique voice that is always interesting and compelling.

This charmingly macabre short comedy sets its sites on 1980s styles, prejudices, and suburban mores; and hits them dead on. Babysitter Tina is past the end of her shift and ready to go home when a mysterious stranger with a dark agenda unexpectedly arrives. How she negotiates her perilous situation is both gripping and hilarious.

An exceptionally written play about depression, addiction, and self-harm. It articulates the pain and depth of lifelong, generational depression as well as anything that I have ever read. The four featured women are deep and insightful and complex as they deal with being trapped living in a world that the they never asked to be in or of. Heart-wrenching and beautiful, but ending with a sense of hope.

In this haunting two-hander, an elderly Appalachian woman invites a park ranger into her remote mountain home during a raging snow storm. As the two women discuss the case of a missing girl, the storm intensifies and the stakes begin to rise as a shared love of music evolves into a twisted confrontation that will leave at least one of them fundamentally changed forever.

A taut and evocative thriller.

A witty and fun play that lampoons the newcomer in Hollywood trope to hilarious effect. When a reclusive novelist refuses to participate in his own films pre-press, his agent seeks out an unknown - someone more complaint and willing do as bidden. But what happens when this naive and impressionable (yet ultimately honorable) literary doppelgänger finds someone real amongst the phoniness only to face a crisis of conscious with no obvious means of escape? The resolution is original and rewarding.