Recommended by Daniel Prillaman

The way Fiona has, is, and will forever activate, break, then reactivate my brain is nothing short of outstanding. I bow to Fiona, though I'm only 40% sure that's what Fiona would want. To say, I delighted in and excitedly met Fiona's evocative, surreal questions on the nature of theatre, lies vs. pretend, legacy, and humanity's predilection for storytelling. I actually met someone who met someone who went to the same high school as Fiona. They said they had no comment on this recommendation.

I, too, have fantasized about Ireland being the answer to all my internal identity struggles. The Protagonist's way with words is immediately infectious and (though they'd say it's a construct) indeed cool. Olivo's interactive solo piece is a powerfully human meditation on culture, praxis!, and coming of age as a Mexican-American in the contemporary hellscape that is the U.S. The multiple movie references are also top-notch.

When a friend does something (to you?) they can't take back, it's worse when you both have superpowers. It's very quite possible the fate of the world is at stake, but like the best superhero fiction, it pales in comparison to the fate of the relationship between our hero and villian. Skinner's dialogue crackles off the page as we pull at and fill in the history between Harper and Lennox, and it results in two characters that actors, directors, and audiences will all jump at to spend time with.

What's the difference between revenge and justice? Ruyle's play is set in the last bastion of an era where committing murderous revenge wouldn't necessarily land you in jail (if you survive). What it certainly would do, however, is change you forever. We make choices and decisions every day. Some of them take away parts of us we can never get back. A grand and musing romance on loss and what it means to honor a loved one's memory.

Oooooh, baby. Yes, as a fantasy lover, I am the target audience and naturally predisposed to love a play full of deception, cult programming, and swordfights. Like all great genre, it's about so much more than what's on the surface. And I can't overstate how approachable this play is for audiences. I think it would particularly strike a chord with younger producing teams, giving them some meaty, FUN role opportunities for people (or fairies) they might not yet have encountered in their journeys.

Sometimes, you know you're in for a hell of a ride and some tight, infectious world-building from page one. Reading this delightful and dark Western dystopia was by far one of those times. Burgess' characters leap off the page fully formed, spitting fun dialogue to boot, and would be a thrill for the designers, as well. And I promise you, if you think you already know everything such a script might offer, you don't. Wickedly entertaining, and stuffed with vibes to philosophize on after.

Absolutely masterful. Any genre savvy reader will get a sense early on of the hard sci-fi Gatton is going to mess with, but few playwrights are able to ground such high concepts so naturally and so deeply in well-drawn characterization. I am obsessed with this script. It is so easily stageable! But make no mistake that it is an epic of hope, love, and truly the beauty of what unites all of humanity. Simultaneously intimate and cosmic in scope, somebody produce this gahtdamb thing.

People envy joy. Especially if you have it and they don't. I've maintained (and still do) that no playwright captures the pure wonder & joy of creating a thing and how glorious it feels to make art better than Steven G. Martin. This might be his masterwork. Benny V. is an incredible character, representing not only all of us, but anyone who chooses to embrace life and the bold decision to step outside of our comfortable spaces in search of the new, interesting, and miraculous. Highly recommend.

Fun, sexy, and actually quite wholesome, Heyman's play is a delightful little burst of queer horror. The encounter parallels someone's first time, and the vampiric twist adds layer upon layer into the relationship. Sometimes it can be awkward having a partner with loads more "experience" than you, but communication, trust, and a healthy blood pack will always keep those feelings at bay. I would watch these characters for...(wait for it)...literally forever.

I suppose that's why envy is one of the seven deadly sins. Kane works her wonders in a short, succinct, ugly scene. "Oh my god, double rainbow," indeed.