Applause is proud to continue the series that for over 70 years has been the standard of excellence for one-act plays in America. From its inception, The Best American Short Plays has identified new, cutting-edge playwrights who have gone on to establish award-winning careers, including Tennessee Williams, Edward Albee, Wendy Wasserstein, Terrence McNally, and David Mamet.

The complex and diverse plays that make up this collection reflect both personal concerns and social issues. The 2008-2009 edition includes A Second of Pleasure, by Neil LaBute; St. Francis Preaches to the Birds, by David Ives; The Stormy Waters, The Long Way Home, by Carey Lovelace; Early Morning, by Eric Lane; Sisters, by Adam Kraar, Maria Filimon, and Tasnim Mansur; Little Duck, by Billy Aronson; A Portrait of the Woman as a Young Artist, by Meg Miroshnik; Slapped Actress, by Emily Conbere; The Last Artist in NYC, by Polly Frost and Ray Sawhill; THE TRUE AUTHOR of the plays formerly attributed to Mister William Shakespeare REVEALED to the world for the first time by Miss Delia Bacon, by James Armstrong; The Lovers and Others of Eugene O'Neill, by Marla Del Collins; III, by Joe Salvatore; Pete & Joe at the Dew Drop Inn, by Lewis Gardner; Decades Apart, by Rick Pulos; 508, by Amy Herzog; and Naked Old Man, by Murray Schisgal.