Recommended by Daniel Prillaman

A brisk, nigh irreverent dive deep into modern gender norms and how recent generations are shattering conceptions of the past. The pacing deftly provokes questions without offering particular solutions. Are there even solutions? On the inside, we all "suffer" the plight of being human, so is the energy some spend on freaking out about how others identify better spent towards anything else? People are people. And perhaps just as racist as rats.

How would you do any particular thing if you knew it was the last time you would ever do it?

A fascinating, somber thought experiment provoked by Levine's beautiful and simply heart-wrenching short play. A reminder to make the most of each moment we get, it hits like a ton of bricks. And it's no wonder it's had a long life of productions. It'll be hard to reduce future ones to sheer numbers, for it ain't slowing down any time soon. Just excellent.

A uniquely American story (despite the accents, & boy what fun when that needle drops). I've long been in awe of Gatton's ability to create religious characters that feel real, earnest, and not caricatures, and he's yet again knocked it out of the park. Must science and religion disprove one another? How does the money fit in? How do you survive a plane crash? At the center of a story filled w/cosmic questions is the beautifully realized and moving relationship between Denys and Bronwen. Maybe it all starts there. Internally. In the DNA. Can't wait to see how this grows.

Onstage horror at its finest. Family curses, dark forces behind the curtain, delectable twists in power, I couldn't ask for anything more. This is a powerhouse of a scene for actors, succinct, chilling, and perfectly paced. I hazard many will find themselves drawn to it as the human mind is tempted by immortality. This would smash at any horror festival.

A goddamned delight. Just hilarious in every way. Marc and Penelope's friendship feels refreshingly lived-in, and it absolutely flies off the pages in absurd and grounded banter. The twists and turns once Wil makes her appearance just wrench the comedy higher and higher. This is a fantastic example of positive twists and saying yes raising the stakes, and who knew a girl raised by wolves would be so wise in the ways of the world? Actually, maybe that's not a surprise at all.

A powerful and memorable ending is not necessarily one that we don't anticipate, but one that, upon reflection, feels inevitable. It feels that the characters' actions and choices could have taken them to no other path. This is such a play.

Quite frankly, this is a play that reinforces why I love theatre. It is the ultimate playground. ANYTHING can happen. It's exciting, it's terrifying, it's weird, and it's life changing. And "TOADS!!!" is a stunning reminder that Jillian Blevins is one of the most fearless and adventurous playwrights working today. Would that we all practiced such bravery...

I, for one, would be curious to see how Paul Hollywood makes it through Drusilla Wollingsworth's gauntlet. It's hard to talk about this play without spoiling its gloriously absurd, "surprising twist." I will attempt to do so, but rest assured, McClain has outdone herself. This is a riotous short play, one gleefully and knowingly satirizing reality TV and mayhap our competitive society at large. Baking is supposed to be fun! Right?! We often mention how much fun it would be to see a play live. Let's say this one has a special secret ingredient.

I saw somewhere that folks w/ADHD won't follow rules they think are stupid. To them, they're nonsensical. But on the flip, rules they don't think are stupid? They will follow those to the death. And rage if other people don't. But that doesn't really apply to just neurodivergents does it? Ruyle's play is a pressure cooker, a perfect example of what might all too easily happen if you trap enough different viewpoints in one place. No one thinks they're the villain. And it takes a nuanced, delicate hand to navigate. Are we up to the task? Excellent chamber drama.

Krampus is royalty. Old-school villainy. On the D&D alignment chart, he's squarely lawful evil, and I think many of us could listen to him monologue for ages, much more than the runtime of Cross' delicious pages. It really makes a difference when you love your work, doesn't it? And that makes it all the worse when the economy makes that job harder, or obsolete. A fun musing from the master of Christmas punishment, who most definitely has a heart bigger than the Grinch, post growing three sizes. Delightful and excellent stuff.

Guardian angels get all the hype, but move over. You'd have a hard task finding a play with inner demons more charming (or gut-burstingly hilarious). At once an homage? ripping satire? both? to kitschy tchotchke shops and a beautiful, nuanced exploration of depression, Floyd-Priskorn has outdone herself. The central shop is tremendous worldbuilding, and the set designers, in particular, will have a lot of room to really let loose here. This would be so much fun to see live, as well as powerful. And those are two things that always bring the room together.