Recommended by Conor McShane

Diana is such a great, well-rounded, and inspiring character, unceasingly dedicated to her own weirdo vision and not caring one bit whether other people like it or not. Despite the play being mostly in a "telling" mode, it's engaging and highly theatrical. A bold, funny, bittersweet look at following one's muse wherever it leads, and trying to carve out a life around it.

I'm sure I'm not the only one who has this sense that, the more connected and integrated we make our lives, the more vulnerable we are. This play taps into some very relatable fears around the accelerated pace of technological progress, while at the same time diving into even more relatable fears of being replaced, of disconnecting from each other, of being alone in an increasingly changing world. It's tense, it's funny, it's deeply human, and has one of the most chilling final moments I've read in quite some time.

A while ago I remember watching a video about Facebook content moderators and the psychological toll their job takes on them, and I thought that seemed like a special kind of hell. MODERATION illuminates the corners of that hell in skin crawling, precisely calibrated detail. Kautzman presents a world that feels not that far removed from our own, illustrating the dehumanizing effects of technology and its corrosion of the soul. It's a horrible job that, so far, only a human could do.

A beautiful, tender short play that gets at some big ideas over its short runtime: identity, legacy, survival, who gets to tell our stories, and just how easily the truth can be erased. Zelde's choice to hold onto who she is, at great personal risk, is inspiring and moving. Lovely stuff!

A masterfully creepy, darkly funny piece that manages to both satirize the world of soulless corporate entities and serve as an effective look at the existential terror that our entire lives could just boil down to some numbers on a screen somewhere. Prillaman creates such a fascinating world that seems to exist just slanted off of our own, giving us just enough information to keep us engaged, not revealing the full truth until the very end. Great stuff!

A steamy, swampy, atmospheric story that touches on parental legacy, a child's obligations, toxic masculinity, and our fear of inheriting the worst traits of our parents, that feels like a Southern Gothic ghost story and a neo-noir all rolled into one. I really appreciated the play's fluidity and the way memories, dreams, and visions bleed into one another. Very cool stuff!

Sometimes you want to read something that's funny and clever and moves along with a brisk energy, and if it happens to also be sharp and effective satire, all the better. Road Movies and Why We Hate Them succeeds on both fronts, as a very funny comedy populated with memorable characters and a reminder that dictators (both real and aspiring) aren't the only ones who can manipulate public perception through the media. It's a story that sadly just keeps being timely.

A disturbing exploration of the lie of upward mobility our society tells us, that very American notion of being able to change your destiny in an instant with one good idea, which is almost always a fantasy, with one of the most shockingly grim endings I've read in a while.

A chilling, darkly funny tale that crackles with righteous energy. I'm fascinated by the ways in which the world of the play is colored in but still left open enough for us to fill in the blanks. I'm bummed I missed a chance to see it in Chicago!

A delightfully surreal short play that feels like it exists in an ever-so-slightly heightened reality that nonetheless feels true to the world of corporate bro-speak. Pariset keeps the true nature of the story ambiguous, leading to a truly creepy ending. It packs a whole lot into its short runtime!