Recommended by Scott Carter Cooper

Persechino creates a complex family world with honesty and sensitivity. A deceptively simple play, Backfill is a wonderful actor's vehicle that generates an intimacy that will appeal to a wide audience. Pereschino fiercely tackles a tough situation and leaves the audience with satisfaction and hope.

Hayward creates a frothy romp that promises nothing but good clean fun, and then in the final moments packs a punch that is worthy of her cast of characters. The characters are vivid, the action fast paced and the dialogue quippy. A pure delight.

In the best traditions of Eugene O'Neill and Lynn Nottage, Tyler captures the spirit of the working class without condescension nor sentimentality. Tyler's people reflect the dire realities of today's America but his style leaves us with the hope for a better future. HIGHLY-HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Rossi's light touch makes history fresh. Characters representing a bygone era pulse with vitality and parallel modern turmoil in a way that only a thoroughly researched topic can be articulated by a masterful artist. And he can write a damn good lyric. Time with Verboten is time well spent.

The highest praise I can offer: the perfect synthesis of Anne Frank, George Orwell, and Stephen Spielberg. And yet frighteningly plausible. A must read. Super-highly recommended.

Forman nails the tropes of romantic comedy in a unique scenario with warm, authentic characters the audience immediately roots for, and does the almost impossible: creating depth from a frothy format and at once resolving the story while leaving their audience wanting more.

Chris is one of the best playwrights working in Chicago today. Catherine Forever, as with all of Chris's work I know, is refreshingly specific while also being universal to everyone who's had a period in life when almost nothing makes sense as their world evolves into something they never expected -- and yet always knew was coming. Chris's effortless style envelops the audience and welcomes us into his world without requiring us to pass judgment on his characters. And this play is just fun.

Saw the Vanguard Arts Collective production of Elevator Girl in Chicago. A crisp satire that combines the national epidemic of sexual assault with the national craze for super heroes. This piece not only explores the impact of sexual assault and imagines the different responses between the traditional genders, but will generate a lively discussion among theatre goers long after the final curtain.

Dark social satire successfully masked as light farce. Lives up to its title.

Kristiana Rae Colon builds vivid worlds with words and tackles complex issues of race, sex, and class with heart and intelligence. Octagon uses poetry to create a dramatic, dynamic tension not only between the characters on stage, but between herself and the audience. One of the best original plays produced in Chicago in 2016.