Recommended by Matthew Weaver

AAAAH! Only Williams could take this particular title and come up with this particular play, in which everyone has fun, but perhaps no one as much as the playwright himself. Well, maybe Fred. OK, so it's a toss-up between fictional Fred and real-life Philip. Ends on the perfect note, in more ways than one.

What I like about Deb's piece is its undercurrent of sadness bee-yond all the bee humor. Does this make me weird? Or does it make Debra Cole very very good at writing funny, thoughtful shorts? Happiness comes tinged with melancholy, but fortunately there are also memories, old and new, and origami and honey and bees and thoughtful relatives, also old and new.

Busser comes in with a wink-heavy short that's as hilarious as it is dangerously close to the truth.
He is a master of depicting the hystericalness of the mundane frustration, in a way that lets us know he's sighing and shaking his head along with the rest of us. But he goes the extra mile and makes us snicker in the audience, as well. Thank you, John! Much appreciated!
Also, I am not familiar with Lyza Feriend and the Weavers, but something tells me I like the cut of their jib.

Richter bravely uses art to expose the truth, long may he elude the angry mobs sure to follow. He also uses groundhogs Phil and Patty to nudge at some other uncomfortable truths about celebrities we come to rely upon, in this smart and clever short. Should your theater ever be so inclined to produce a Groundhog Day-themed short play festival, this one should definitely be on the Must list.

This was one of my first tastes of McDuffie’s writing, and it is a powerhouse. Unforgettable and important, and also so well-written and clever. By allowing his characters to start out, and remain stepped out, of an all-too-familiar scenario, it heightens the tragedy. This play should be in every single 10-minute play festival on every single stage in every single theater in America.

If COP & FISKE did not exist, this would be McDuffie’s best play, in my own humble opinion. (Stage them as companion pieces, you cowards!!! It’ll be a dead heat to see which one stirs up more arguments.) Here, McDuffie does the thing all playwrights long to do and absolutely just plays, resulting in an irreverent, naughty, super smart, hysterical short that is heaven-sent.

Ho hum. Just another play about an 1800s Black folk hero waking up in the present and immediately tackling society’s obsession with phones and social media, all with the help of his longtime partner in crime, a grizzly bear. We’ve all seen that before …
Actually, McDuffie is a vibrant voice whose words deserve more attention and time on the stage. CATDADDY MULEKICK dances nimbly between social satire and riproarin' adventure. The playwright is clearly having fun, and his enthusiasm is catching.

McDuffie has a knack for fun, mischievous characters with noble hearts who can’t really be bothered to stay on the right side of the law.
McDuffie weaves rich dialogue and characters that would be absolute showcases for any performers fortunate enough to tackle them. Theaters and audiences looking for easy answers and absolutely no fun at all would do well to steer clear of his plays.

McDuffie displays his knacks for rich characters and complicated scenarios with a thoughtful, layered social commentary. His words should be in front of more audiences! Better yet, stage this play and host a discussion afterward! Read it in schools! GOOSE is sure to be a conversation starter, but it won’t necessarily spark discussions with easy resolutions, if anything can be resolved at all. Proceed with anticipation and delight. Necessary.

Written two months before the 2020 election, this is a very interesting and disturbing time capsule of a play to read now, a week after the 2025 inauguration.
Xavier Knox awakens from a coma, the man who cast the deciding vote to elect President Joe Biden in a key district, and receives an update on the social unrest that has occurred. Again, this was written ***before*** 2020. McDuffie is not just a very good playwright; troublingly enough, he might be a soothsayer. May God help us all.