Recommended by Matthew Weaver

I just had the pleasure of hearing this play read as part of a Theatre Unmasked virtual play reading.
Burdick crystalizes the thoughts and fears and feelings of many teachers called upon to do the unimaginable: Keep showing up, and be prepared to sacrifice themselves against increasingly insurmountable circumstances.
Burdick's words ring with truth and despair. May it bring some small comfort to teachers who find themselves in similar scenarios and they are not alone in their grief and their fear, and may these words find their way to decision makers who can start the path to responsible answers.

Hoke takes a fascinating piece of history and brings it to life with this radio drama. She expertly delivers just enough detail of the time and place - armed with nothing but sound! - to center us. All the while, she delivers on a topic in which she is well-versed - the battle of the genders - as twenty medical students sit around, commenting on the progress of an anonymous woman as she prepares to give birth, marking a monumental moment in medical advancement. And shades of current events, as the most important progress is met by scandalized pearl clutchers.

Hageman takes a very familiar storyline scenario, and treats it with utmost respect, grace and heart (no surprise for we Hageman enthusiasts), defying expectations all while she exceeds them, time and again. This is a lovely, balanced story (for older performers!!!!) that adeptly captures the feelings of both Betty and bewildered Barney, with great empathy, compassion and affection. There's a reason their love story has lasted this long, and Hageman shows it expertly.
Literally an irresistible play, like any Emily Hageman play. Would actually love to see this kick off a full-length adventure for Betty and Barney.
REMARKABLY: Remarkable indeed.

Delightful! Kelly takes a very titillating title and concept and infuses it with heart and plenty of spirit. This is fun and sexy and suddenly becomes something even more, without losing any of the fun and sexiness. Kelly blesses us with depth and grace, and the result is a play that embraces the so-called limitations of a Zoom production for maximum effect.
I've had the pleasure of chatting with Kelly via Zoom chat for an artist "speed dating" event and this Zoom Play accurately captures his energy and enthusiasm, his joie de vivre, exactly as I was hoping it would!

Sickles channels heartache and heartbreak but delivers more pointed points about love of self and fellow humans.
Love the visual of Bud and Miracle both concocting their own love spells. Sickles is just as adept at writing deep YA characters as he is delving into some truly wicked characters (whose hearts are there, just usually buried DEEP), and in Miracle we are lucky enough to get a little bit of both.
I got distinct John Bellairs (very much a compliment) vibes from this piece, full of magic and every day ordinariness, which is just as magic, if not more.

A lovely, poetry-filled short play that's a tribute to baseball, sure, but even more so, it's a tribute to fathers and sons, and brothers, and summers spent listening to the radio and growing up. Williams' ability to pack all of this into 10 minutes and make it seem effortless (it's not) and light (it's not) is a rare gift.

WOW. Sickles makes history come to life in this ... you know how for a while a lot of movie trailers included the word "taut"? THIS is a taut play.
Sickles takes a truly horrific act and sets the stage for maximum impact by delivering it as matter-of-factly as possible, which makes it all the more compelling and bonechilling. He has a knack for this, a genuine damn talent.
On second thought, he doesn't make history come to life so much as he literally revives it. The play you pick when you want your audience bent forward in their seats.

"Stunning and important and chilling and chillingly relevant, especially with recent headlines." - alas, likely to be an evergreen recommendation.
This play is heartbreaking and on the level of any of Rod Serling's finest TWILIGHT ZONE episodes. Pointed and telling, to the degree that any lines between satire and truth blur and then vanish.
Add Durham to your list of playwrights to write/read/produce. Add this play to your festival/Zoom reading. Not just because it's timely and relevant, but because it's also just that damn good.
#BlackLivesMatter

Were I not already a keen Baughfman fan (Baughfmanite? Baughfmanketeer?), this play would have rendered me so. As it is, it renders me even more so!
I have seen (and tackled myself) plays in reverse, but Baughfman delivers it so superbly and cleverly here, upping the game for playwrights and performers alike. Give this one to the secret weapon in your acting troupe, the performer everyone's been waiting to have just the right showcase: It has arrived.
I particularly adore the extra layer of Contestant 16's first recitation of the alphabet. Baughfman takes the familiar and achieves a new sublime.

Mullen proves why he is so often selected and produced with this gem (which I first saw wonderfully performed through the Gi60 festival in 2019). Irresistible concept, easily recognized scenario I think we all can relate to, and a killer (slightly naughty) crescendo that packs an oomph. And all in a minute. One of my favorites of Mullen's pieces.