Recommended by Daniel Prillaman

HA! This is classic Mandryk. Here, a solicitor prevents a "shut up and take my money" situation in a way I won't spoil. Just read it. Deliciously dry humor, this.

Oh, this is great. I have been left wanting more (in the good way). Keel does a brilliant job of giving us just enough but not too much. These characters are a hoot in their own right, but together they transcend in a story of morals, introversion, and the socio-political environment of preteen girls. It's also a stark example of age and maturity being two very different things. I have to think the title is a term of endearment.

The adage is perhaps trite or overheard in some circles of today's society: "Everyone you see is fighting a battle you know nothing about." Heyman beautifully brings this concept to life as Harris (and Violet) struggle with their new situation (or med cocktail). It can so easily feel like we are the only ones combatting the whims and weirdness of our bodies and brains. But this is a tender reminder that we are all dealing with our own uniqueness, which is a remarkably human experience.

I can count on one hand the number of times I've wound up reading a play in one sitting. Add one to the list. Martin's dialogue and stage direction crackle off the page and burrow into your very marrow. When the art's real-life inspiration is too clear, the ethical minefield can be staggering...but add in the lust and anger and fear and longing simmering between these two towering characters? Incredible piece of theatre with two tour-de-force performance opportunities. Highly recommended.

Fearlessly hysterical. This play is a goddamned delight, tackling cycles of religion, faith, belief, and individualism with nuance, grounded in the funniest, most lost characters I’ve encountered in a long while. I want to do this play so bad. I cannot overstate how much fun a production of this would be for actors and audiences. This is peak (and so so timely) dark comedy, and I’ll be thinking of it until I ascend myself.

"Ravage" excels as a rad-as-hell love letter to Buffy fans, slash fic writers, and witches of all ages. But as Ki plays xer final cards, you realize just how much more it is, as a vampire horror grows the fangs of a thoughtful, humane exploration of trauma and self-loathing. Combine the classic horror imagery and this powerful story, a production of this will bring down the house of any theatre looking to put some well-told genre on the stage.

With or without access to helpful spirits, teaching rich people empathy is a timeless problem. Christie has masterfully ported and translated the classic Dickens tale to 2025 America, infusing the original with contemporary insights and biting at the issues of today with nuanced humor. It’s an ingenious adaptation and would be a gem for any theatre looking to do something beyond the traditional holiday programming.

Thunderous, thought-provoking, and rich in language and imagery, Tibbetts' short play is a magic collision of women wronged. Whether you're familiar with the source material or no, this two-hander scene fearlessly poses questions around feminism, autonomy, selfishness, loss, and more. This is damn good character work, and it would be tremendous to see in production.

Neurodivergent life is difficult enough without meeting every subjective or ridiculous qualification for entry that others assign to us in their heads. This play is an important conversation told thoughtfully. And an excellent gateway for discussion on theatre's purpose in the modern world, where conscious casting is more paramount than ever before.

Horticulture, The Last of Us, the dumbing down of humanity, and Evil Dead 2013 all in a blender? Maintaining, amidst all those influences, an original short tale on the fragility of humanity and the terror of not being in control as a species? Crafting a well-paced, dread-inducing, scary-as-hell story that will haunt me for months? All in a day's work for Aly Kantor. It's funny. How invincible we think we are.