Recommended by Matthew Weaver

Costa's energy, wit and heart are on full display in this lovely short for high school youth.
Opposites (one studious to a fault, the other open and caring) forge a connection in the midst of a school shooter drill.
Dot finally opens up, and thankfully Tatiana is there to receive her words.
Teen audiences (and audiences of all ages) would find something to relate to. We have all been one or the other of these girls at some point in our lives.
I had the pleasure of hearing LISTENING IN THE LIBRARY during a Theatre Unmasked reading on Zoom.

Already a mainstay of the stage, I think Mullen is even more in his element embracing the technology of Zoom.
This is so lovely it might even knock THE PEEK and NINJAS from the top of my most favorite Scott Mullen plays. Two vulnerable hearts come together, so hopeful and so trepidatious, and see what sparks. This is an arena in which Mullen shines, and this play is no exception.
If you've been reluctant to embrace the Zoom technology in your own playwriting, Mullen here offers an example of how to do it, and do it exceedingly well.

Sickles employs the Jim Henson/Fred Rogers guide to success, writing a superb theatrical piece for kids that doesn't fall into the trap of dumbing anything down because it's for kids - the most discerning audience. I imagine quite a few adults wishing they could find parts as well-written as Bertram and Robert!
Sickles adeptly maneuvers the complexities of friendship of any age.
(He also succeeds in making his audience crave cucumber sandwiches with cream cheese, and Everything Bagel seasoning.)
Genuinely heartwarming through and through.
(I had the pleasure of reading/hearing this as part of a Theatre Unmasked program.)

Sickles' play has layers upon layers.
First, you think, man, I wish I went to school with someone just like Bertram. Then, you think, oh, I probably DID. And you hope that you never made Bertram ever feel as sad as Robert does.
But then how lovely that Bertram is able to see the reasons beneath the reasons (see what I mean about layers??) and show that, despite it all, he is a true friend to Robert.
This is a lovely ode to friendship, and mad kudos to Sickles for giving youth a superlative opportunity to shine in theater.

Read this if you want to be even more thoroughly unsettled than you already were, given the goings-on in America right now.
"This is admittedly an extreme worst case scenario. Highly improbable. Not impossible." Sickles has a gift for holding the everyday mundane-ness of evil up to the light. That gift is out in full force with this jagged dagger of a play.
Sickles' imagination reflects the reality, and the possibilities of reality. It's not satire, it's a broken sob. Sickles inherits George Orwell's legacy with a heavy heart and does the author of "1984" and "Animal Farm" proud.

Um, this just might be the most adorable tale of demonic possession ever. No surprise for we who are well-versed in Sickles and his uncanny ability to find beauty in the most deplorable, and deplorableness in the most beautiful. It's a knack, and Sickles is at the full height of his power with this short play.
This is never quite a love triangle and never quite a love story, and yet at the same time, it's all of those things all at once.
Also, bonus points to Sickles for demonstrating that even demons understand the importance of consent.
Utterly fantastic.

I absolutely love the way that Levine introduces the idea of saying "I love you" and other reaffirmations of affection in the midst of an argument. I'm totally stealing this for real life!
UP ON THE ROOF asks how much of fate is determined and how much is what we make of it, what splits a couple and what makes them stronger.
Levine is so good at exploring human connections on many different layers. It's just one of many reasons why his name is such a mainstay in theatrical festivals.
I heard a Theatre Unmasked Zoom reading of this play.

I had the pleasure of participating in a reading as part of a Theatre Unmasked virtual play reading.
Costa plays with the temptation to preserve memories in the face of real diseases which threaten our minds. You know companies are already at work on programs very similar to Mindstream.
Costa delicately, exquisitely balances the temptation to pursue such endeavors with the very real dangers of making things worse/losing control. This one is sure to generate LOTS of conversation.
Bonus points for the way Costa plays with time in this play. She dares to explore beyond the theatrical edges.

It's funny because it's true. It's tragic because it's true.
Wyndham expertly captures the feel of lockdown, which will surprise no one who understands the monologue maestro that he is.
Performers will find many layers upon which to draw. Audience members will nod knowingly. Those people who JUST WANT TO KEEP EVERYONE SAFE will stand up and cheer.
This far along into lockdown, a new monologue from Asher is like reuniting with a longlost friend, and cause for celebration.
An entire Zoom production of Asher Wyndham monologues would be a worthy endeavor for ANY theatre. Hint, hint, just saying ...

I just had the pleasure of hearing this play read as part of a Theatre Unmasked virtual play reading.
Kurtas-Chapman elegantly captures a part of everyday life that I, before lockdown times, would never had predicted I would feel nostalgic for ... the telltale splutter of an empty coffee container. We have all had this day. God willing, we will have this day again.
Kurtas-Chapman further stretches her skills by making this a Choose Your Own Adventure play. In the course of the conversation after, she mentioned that audiences mostly choose the tragic ending. I know why: It feels realest.