Recommended by Matthew Weaver

What a lovely, stark and yet still lovely comedy that I shall now spend the rest of the day trying not to think about, and failing. Downs captures both the fantasy that comes with the thrill of falling in love and the reality of what awaits us all at the end, and reminds us we should live every day as though it could be the last one. With a hell of an optional ending to that very point. Put this in your Valentine's Day festival - it'll be the most romantic - and the most realistic- play of the evening.

If anyone ever tells you playwrights don't pour everything they have into their scripts, you show them this play by Franky Gonzalez. He puts EVERYTHING into these pages, shares them with us, and we are better for it. An unadulterated marvel. I'm just sitting here on a Sunday morning, stunned and grateful that he opened his heart. May the fact that he's voiced these beautiful words bring him peace and the pathway forward to write many, many more beautiful words for a long time, and may these beautiful words find their way to people who are worthy of receiving them.

Wyndham writes a lovely piece to capture an innocent boy about to bump up against a lot of not-so-innocence, and in doing so asks us to consider the lives that our children are leading right under our noses. Who is looking out for them? Quincey's reaction is funny, but the entire play is also stark and disquieting. This could be a very good tool to reach out to young people and have a frank, and frankly needed, conversation about sex and phone behavior. The better to prepare them for any potential situation the world might throw at them.

I LOVE coming of age stories, and this is an especially good one. Phillie will steal your heart the way he steals his mother's olives. DeVita has a natural, charming, acerbically honest tone throughout, and he will level you with all of the ways he captures his characters' heartbreaks and heartaches. And then he drops the mic. It's all so messy and complicated and yet DeVita manuevers through decades of complications gracefully, like a bird in flight. Like Phillie's books ... this play has teeth. It's a pleasure to sink yours into this script, and vice versa.

Damn it, Scott! Sickles gifts us with the end of a love story, and imbues it with his characteristic (broken, but still beating) heart and of course his wit. But then, heart and wit often go hand in hand where Scott Sickles is concerned. We only get five minutes, but it's a good five minutes. And we feel we've known these characters all their lives. As they say their last goodbyes, Sickles gently whispers in the ear of the audience: It's all going to be OK. And in Sickles' capable hands, we just might start to believe it.

Weingarten here offers a play that should spark a lot of conversations in a positive and sex-positive way. The character of Jill in particular is a fabulous role for a talented performer. Weingarten packs a lot of nuance and social commentary into a 10-minute play. Fabulous concept, excellent delivery.

Hooked from the moment I read "As told to Rachael Carnes." It's so comforting to know that no matter where you go, no matter how deep into the forest, theatre will always be theatre. Drama kids past, present and future will find much to enjoy in this irresistible short! Carnes gives a knowing, conspiratorial wink to anyone who's ever had to set off in search of human hair. Wait, what?!

This. Is. Amazing. Incredible.
It's the look behind the scenes of a high school production of OUR TOWN that you didn't know you wanted to see. And it evolves, from awkward romantic longings and awkward conversations to hilarious shared group jokes to something that is ...
devastating
In the worst/best/worst possible way
And yet stays true to the original source
in the best/best/best possible way.
Read this play.
Perform this play.
Let the closest school know so students can know, there's a play that's for them, that gets them, that speaks
to/for them
And hears them.

When handed a prompt or a prop suggestion or some other invitation to write a play, stop, Playwright, and gently ask yourself, in all seriousness: What would Ruben Carbajal do with this?
Carbajal inspires and kindly challenges all of we writers to bring our A-game. Because he always brings his, and PROOF OF MONSTERS is no exception. There are layers inside layers in this 10-minute short, as Carbajal delivers a Bigfoot play by way of Raymond Carver.
So stretch yourself. Play. Surprise yourself. Write beyond your imagination. Submit it.
Then read to see what Ruben Carbajal would do. And enjoy....

A VERY irresistible concept - what if the Devil were staying near you in a motel in the middle of a FEMA crisis and turned out to be a pretty decent guy, but still the Devil? - in VERY capable hands. Sickles' one-act is full of heartache and loneliness and hope, and it positively crackles with ambiance.
Any play by Sickles is bound to be a good bet, but VACANCIES is so good that you'll find yourself asking, "Why hasn't this been done before?" A fresh, lively new twist on all those classic tales of temptation. You should say yes.