Recommended by Max Langert

Rita Anderson has a talent for illuminating characters, cranking the lights up so that we care about them more and more as new layers are revealed. Gliders is a great example of this as we’re invited in to join a family of seemingly ordinary women. Just as space exploration reaches new heights, we’re drawn into the family’s emotional truths. The characters break their own new ground -- proving just how exceptional they are -- right as astronauts are landing on the surface of the moon. It’s a satisfying and rich exploration of life and relationships.

Saint Somebody kicks off with a unique introduction to its key characters and does a fantastic job creating scenes and backgrounds in the midst of the Civil War. The staging inside medical tents makes for immediately gripping action, and the pursuit of justice for a marginalized yet heroic soldier is both heartbreaking and satisfying. This drama shines a light on a set of historical figures we haven’t seen before, and we’re better off for it.

This play wonderfully characterizes its two main subjects – both dogs – in a way that I’ve never seen before. The animals are distinct and emotional and very human in many ways – while ALSO retaining so much of their canine qualities that you feel you’ve been given a magical insight into their worlds. The human characters are terrific too, and the emotional impact of dogs on humans and humans on dogs is truly heartwarming and real.