Recommended by Ruben Carbajal

Had the pleasure of experiencing ONE IN THE CHAMBER at the Theatre Unmasked zoom reading. This highly effective piece confronts the audience with how classrooms across the nation are transformed by our gun policies. The burden that this teacher, and so many others across the country are being asked to carry, is nothing less than an outrage. Burden's piece forces us to stare this stark reality right in the face.

Like a single brushstroke that paints a complete portrait. In the purest theatrical and human terms, Weaver unpacks the pain and longing of socially-distancing. A lovely work.

Intriguing and lively. This unpredictably funny piece brings to mind the inventive language of silent films. But Mark Harvey Levine's Morning works as a metaphor--with resourcefulness and by working together, we can solve just about any problem. Fantastic!

Parking Lot moves with a casual playfulness that allows for deeply-felt moments to take you by surprise. With only the most minimal of elements, the play tackles complex questions while also delivering plenty of laughs. This is the first play to move me to tears in a long time. I think this is exactly what audiences need right now. Hope to see this produced far and wide.

There's a kind of magic that can happen when language found out in the wild is placed in the heightened space of a stage. The trick is finding and arranging everyday words in a way that tells an unexpected story. Birdseed not only accomplishes this but has the added benefit of the vulnerability and deep, emotional undertow that's a signature of Matthew Weaver's narrative work.

There's so much going on in this elegant ten-minute piece--two well-crafted characters, a bit of the hair-raising supernatural, a very real sense of loss, and the hope of moving on. It's a truly unique holiday play (which is not easy to do) and an impressive feat of short-form writing.

Taught, tense, and compelling. Captures the horror and helplessness of our moment, and forces us to confront our need for action against a backdrop of complacency. There's a pure sense of theatricality in the script that would be fascinating to see on stage. Hope to see this play get the attention and productions it deserves.

SIRENS manages to be grounded and fantastical all at once. It opens the door to an unexpected world with a magician's deft sleight-of-hand. There are great roles and a lot of fun packed into this small package.

There's a lot to recommend in this rapid-fire, mind-twisting, anarchic comedy. The unexpected twists and endless one-liners escalate at a wild pace, giving it a Marx Brothers quality. One of the funniest gems I've discovered on NPX--it's astounding to me that this hasn't been widely produced and published.

What a treat to run into this entertaining and imaginative call back to 50s sci-fi movies. On top of the fantastic dialogue and endless one-liners, there's also the opportunity for so much fun with set design. This would doubtlessly add a lot of laughs to any evening of short plays. I'd fight an army of giant ants for the opportunity to see this live!