Deeply felt and achingly funny, Kriah // A Tearing gazes into the heart of modern Judaism with an unflinching eye and an unwavering wit. Schrager grapples with so many hot-button issues in this play but manages to tie them all into a greater story about grief and the stories we tell ourselves about the people we love. A stirring, haunting read that deserves to be produced and talked about for years to come.

This play is the rare example of the "issue" play that remembers to be personal without ever shying away from its visceral, real-life political stakes. Its haunting magic and finely-tuned relationships stitch together a wonderful, resonant fabric of ideas and memory. This isn't easy ground to walk on but Ben's text does it bravely, thoughtfully, with a great combo of fire and humor (a quintessentially Jewish pairing).

This piece is full of life amidst the palpable sense of grief and grieving. There aren't any easy answers for these characters all grappling with the death of a long ago classmate — how he's being lionized versus who he actually was. The piece navigates challenging questions all with a sense of humor. And the scene near the end with the classmate's mom is a beautiful piece of writing.